Norman Rockwell
(February 3, 1894 - November 8, 1978) |
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magazine illustrations, depictions of American life Art Work
| Name: |
Norman Rockwell |
| Gender: |
Male |
| Place of Birth: |
New York City, New York, USA |
| Nationality: |
American |
| Birth: |
February 3, 1894 |
| Death: |
November 8, 1978 |
| Website: |
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| Past Auctions: |
Click Here |
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Quick Facts
| Known For: |
magazine illustrations, depictions of American life |
| Medium: |
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| Method: |
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| Style: |
Realism |
| Fine Art Profession(s): |
Painting
Illustrator
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Biography
Norman Rockwell is possibly the most well-loved American artist in popular culture. He is famous for his paintings and illustrations of American daily life--ordinary scenes of average people going about their regular business--free from pretense.
Rockwell was born 1894 in New York. His art education began at the age of 14, when he attended the Chase Art School, followed by the National Academy of Design, then the Art Students League of New York. He began his professional career as an illustrator. His first jobs included illustrations of the Boy Scouts of America magazine Boys' Life and the St. Nicholas Magazine.
During World War I, Rockwell attempted to join the US Navy, but was rejected at the recruitment center for being 8 pounds underweight. Rockwell subsequently gorged himself on donuts, bananas, and liquids until he met the weight requirement. Even in the Navy, however, Rockwell saw no fighting and was appointed to being a military artist. In 1815, Rockwell began submitting paintings for the cover of The Saturday Evening Post. His work was well received--in total, Rockwell submitted over three hundred covers to the Post throughout his life, eight in his first year alone.
Rockwell's success with the Post led to work with other magazines as well. Rockwell's paintings were included as covers of The Literary Digest, The Country Gentleman, and Life Magazine as well. After 1961, Rockwell worked primarily for Look Magazine, illustrating those things that interested him most: civil rights, poverty, and space exploration.
Rockwell also produced portraits. He received commissions to paint the Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon, as well as various other celebrities. During World War II, Rockwell painted The Four Seasons, a series of paintings inspired by Roosevelt's four freedoms--Freedom from Want, Freedom of Speech, Freedom to Worship, and Freedom from Fear. The paintings were then used as promotional materials for the sale of government war bonds. In a testament to his widespread popularity, the artist was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedon in 1977 for his intimate depictions of America.
Over the course of his career, Rockwell created over 4000 original pieces. In recent years, however, his work has been heavily criticized by contemporary artists for being overly sentimental and kitschy. Some derided him as being only an illustrator, not an artist, but Rockwell did not mind the label. He considered himself an illustrator first. Despite the criticism, Rockwell remains a much-beloved artist among the American public. |
Samples of Work
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