Mac Conner: An Insight Into A Golden Age

Sometimes we talk about historical events like the Civil War, the Great Depression, or even the Civil Rights Movement as if we’re mini-experts. We, as Millenials, could admit to only having such a basic and perhaps skewed knowledge of these events and times since we never actually lived through them ourselves. History textbooks and parental insight could only paint so much of a picture when it comes to a world we never lived in. McCauley “Mac” Conner, influenced by Norman Rockwell, and his exhibit, A New York Life, at the Museum of the City of New York creates its own vision of the United States. Conner produced most of his work during the 40s, 50s, and 60s for large and extremely influential Madison Avenue advertising firms. A New York Life should be visited by all because Conner’s paintings have the power to immerse its observers into an ideal and pleasurable American society, regardless of what actually happened historically during the Post-war era.

McCarthyism, Race Riots, and the surge of Communism are all shoved aside into a corner as the mystery, romance, and rampant consumerism of this age command your attention. As one first enters the room, the paintings welcome the viewer to smiling faces and idealistic images of suburbia. For example, there is one painting showing a couple and their child on the beach as they are smiling and laughing in the sand. In another piece by Conner, a smiling young man hangs by his legs while his sister also sports a happy face in the background. Through these paintings and others, Conner presents people who valued comfort, happiness, and family. The paintings themselves are strong and straightfoward images of a time that appears a lot simpler and happier than it actually was. The happy people, romance, and families actually make me wish that I grew up then rather than the society I am living in now. Conner’s ability to bring viewers into a different reality and history, shows his skill and why he was so successful in the advertising industry.

Although Conner’s vision is creative and artfully represented through his works, his paintings fail to show a picture of the majority of society. For example, in most, if not all of his paintings, there are only middle class or affluent White people. Even during the 50s, this was only a fraction of the American society at large. By only having specific types of people in his paintings, he shows a vision of an Atomic Age United States that was largely homogenous. The homogeneity of his work may bother some aspiring visitors to the gallery because of its historical inaccuracies. However, I do not feel that it is just Conner at fault for producing images with just financially successful White American characters. Conner worked for dozens of advertising agencies and other firms and was paid to paint for them. These companies, trying to sell, sell, and sell more in one of the most consumeristic societies known to man, were attempting to target the people who would purchase their products. Unfortunatley, these companies largely felt that only a fraction of what society was actually made up of back then would be interested in buying airline tickets or a new pair of jeans. It would have been special to see Conner incorporate other people into his artwork, but even with his limitations, I felt he did a wonderful job doing what he did best – painting.

An interesting theme that could be seen in a lot of his paintings is that the United States at this time was largely patriarchal. This theme is evident in two of Conners’ paintings. We Won’t Be Any Trouble is a painting of four children lined up in front of their father, who has a lowered newspaper covering the lower half of his face. In the painting, the children are obedient, with their hands at their sides or behind their backs. The viewer can see the symbolic power in the painting. Even though the father is sitting down, he commands the dominant presence and attention of his children. In addition, the title itself provides insight that the father is a well-respected and possibly feared leader of the family. The other painting that shows a theme of patriarchy is You’ve Got It Coming. In the painting, there is a man dressed in a robe and smoking a cigarette as he intently stares at the viewer. The caption reveals that he is waiting for his wife to come home with another man. Regardless of the story behind it, the man in the painting commands attention and appears very powerful. The man and the chair take up almost the entire image, suggesting that the man is comparable to a King and the chair is his throne. These two paintings, and others, portray Conner’s vision of Post-war society that was patriarchal. Whether or not it as intentional, Conner showcased a society that was largely dominated by men and fathers. This image of the United States proves to be a strong contrast to the age of Third-wave feminism we live in today. I feel that the contrast actually makes the exhibit more appealing and interesting to analyze because it makes Conner’s world that much more different from the one we live in now.

A New York Life turns the clock back to a society that is not as distant as some may think. Through the eyes of Mac Conner, 1950s and 60s New York was a place of family values, simple romance, and docile consumerism. The realist side of me is disappointed with the homogeneity that the collection presents as a whole, but the idealist side of me is extremely impressed with how a union of advertisements would make its observers feel that America’s best times are behind us. Overall, I was very satisfied with the quality of work and really appreciated the themes that the paintings illustrated. Whether or not the paintings’ characters mispresent society or display certain values that our generation does not prioritize anymore, the images come together to make the Post-war era a satisfying and fun time to live in.