Artist of the Month: Norman Rockwell
Artist of the Month: Norman Rockwell
Norman Rockwell is one of the most prolific and beloved American artist of the 20th century. He is well known for his paintings of every day life in America.
ln fact, for years, I took his artwork for granted. I'm sure I saw it on calendars and magazines in the 70's and 80's but really did not appreciate the magnitude of his artwork until I started researching "Thanksgiving Art" for an art project. I came across what I naively thought was his iconic "Thanksgiving" painting - Grandma serving the Thanksgiving turkey as her family is gathered around the dinner table. Boy, was I ever WRONG! I'll say it again! Boy, was I ever WRONG!
Check it out here!
Norman Rockwell Museum YouTube: Freedom from Want
This beautiful iconic painting ("Freedom from Want") is part of Rockwell's Four Freedoms inspired by President Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union Address to Congress. The four "essential human freedoms" spoken of by Roosevelt are the Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom of Fear and Freedom from Want. Rockwell's illustrations of these Freedoms helped connect the American people with the reason for sending their loved ones off to fight the war in foreign lands. My own great Uncle Dock gave his life in the Pacific during this war. Perhaps, you have a family member that served during this time too.
Rockwell's works were first published as covers for The Saturday Evening Post. They garnished so much attention that a partnership was created between The Saturday Evening Post and the U.S. Treasury to sell war bonds. The Four Freedoms helped raised 133 million dollars for the war effort. You read that correctly - $133,000,000.00 in the 1940s! That would be a cool 2.4 Billion dollars in 2025. The power of Art!
As copyright prevents me from posting the pics I'll share some great resources via these links!
Norman Rockwell Museum YouTube: Rockwell's Four Freedoms
In the "Learn" section of the Norman Rockwell Museum you'll find "Curriculum" - images and lesson plans based on some of Rockwell's "Four Freedoms", "The Problem We all Live With", The Golden Rule" and some of his other iconic paintings.
In the 1960's, Rockwell switched gears, he left The Saturday Evening Post after 47 years in 1963 and started illustrating for Look magazine. Some of his most powerful work was creating during this time period.
Do you have a favorite Rockwell? One of my favs is his Triple Self Portrait. Check out this video from The Saturday Evening Post YouTube.
Norman Rockwell's Studio
photo by Carol M. Highsmith
Library of Congress
public domain
Fast Facts:
Birth: February 3, 1894 New York City, NY
Death: November 8, 1978 Stockbridge, MA - 84
years of age
Works of art: more than 4000 works of art. Painted 322 covers for The Saturday Evening Post. Illustrated more than 40 books. Painted 4 Presidential Portraits
Medium: oil paint for finished works,
watercolors for sketches
Art Classification: Realism
Best Known: depiction of every day life in small town America
Interesting Tidbits:
Favorite: avid reader as a child, inspired by Charles Dickens
Family: father, Jarvis, Mother, Anne Mary "Nancy", one brother, Jarvis
Children: 3 sons, Jarvis (artist), Peter (sculptor), Thomas (writer)
Early years: always wanted to be an artist, at age 14 he enrolled at The New York School of Art (formerly The Chase School of Art).
Training: 1910, age 16, left school to attend The National Academy of Design. Soon after, Rockwell transferred to The Art Students League,
Career: teenager - art director of Boys’ Life
1915: illustrator Life, Literary Digest, and Country Gentleman
1916 - 1963 painted first cover for The Saturday Evening Post. A career that lasted 47 years.
1943: Painted the Four Freedoms inspired by President Franklin D. Roosevelt's address to Congress. The works toured the US and raised 133 million dollars for the war effort through the sale of war bonds (2025 = 2,490+ billion dollars).
1963: 10 years with Look magazine. First painting was "The Problem We All Live With" - Ruby Bridges being escorted by four US Marshalls as she walks to school.
1977: received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his significant contributions to American art.
Rockwell painted Golden Rule as a cover for The Saturday Evening Post in 1961. It is based on the Golden Rule "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." He observed that many countries, cultures and religions incorporate a version of the Golden Rule into their belief system.
Rockwell: A Boy and His Dog is a fictionalized account of Norman Rockwell and his neighbor boy, Scotty. In the book and real life, Scotty is Rockwell's model for his upcoming Four Seasons series. However, they are in need of a dog model for the series. Scotty's dog is too big so Scotty is determined to find the perfect dog for the job!
The book gives insight into Rockwell's use of friends/neighbors for models. It's interesting how Scotty uses the props so Rockwell can capture the right pose for the painting!
Can You? Activities
🖼️Create a drawing/painting showing an everyday activity in your town. Include important details.
🖌️Create a work of art that expresses a powerful message.
📝Write a story about something happening in your community.
🎨Create a work of art showing your favorite family gathering.
📝Golden Rule Challenge "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"
Make a list of 20 things you can do to show kindness to other people. Have fun doing them!
