Norman Rockwell

By Tom Kirvan

He was known as a master storyteller who could distill a narrative down into a single frame.

Some called him one of America’s greatest artists, while others preferred to label him as an illustrator extraordinaire.

In whatever way he was described, Norman Rockwell was beloved by generations of Americans for his immense skill as a figurative painter and for his keen social observation that was depicted in his work.

Born February 3, 1894 in New York City, Rockwell was a prolific artist, producing more than 4,000 original works during his lifetime. He gained fame for the cover illustrations he created for The Saturday Evening Post, which during its prime, was one of the most influential and widely circulated weekly magazines in the U.S.

His artistic profile grew as an illustrator of more than 40 books, including “Tom Sawyer” and “Huckleberry Finn,” and when he was commissioned to paint portraits of Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon.

“I know of no painless process for giving birth to a picture idea,” Rockwell reflected. “When I must produce, I retire to a quiet room with a supply of cheap paper and sharp pencils; my brain knows it’s going to take a beating.”

Norman Rockwell*

Many of his works have set auction records, including “Saying Grace,” which sold for $46 million in 2013. His paintings have been valued by celebrity collectors such as George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, who have both said that Rockwell helped inspire their cinematic visions.

Rockwell also was a longtime supporter of the Boy Scouts of America, producing covers for its magazine and calendars. During the later stages of his career, he contributed works to Look magazine, tackling such subjects as racism in America.

“My fundamental purpose is to interpret the typical American,” Rockwell said of his paintings. “I am a storyteller. The story is the first thing and the last thing.”

Rockwell studied at Chase School of Art, National Academy of Design, and The Art Students League of New York, where he developed a style that would propel him to fame. His “Four Freedoms” series during World War II – works that were inspired by a speech from President Franklin D. Roosevelt – made him a seminal figure who would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977, one year before his death from emphysema at the age of 84.

“Commonplaces never become tiresome,” Rockwell observed during his illness. “It is we who become tired when we cease to be curious and appreciative.”

*en:Underwood & Underwood, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons