Norman Rockwell Biography

Norman Rockwell was an American painter and illustrator, widely known for his cover illustrations for The Saturday Evening Post magazine, published in the United States. Some of his most famous his famous works of art include series like the Willie Gillis, Four Freedoms and Boy's Life. He was the greatest artist of the 20th century, and that was acknowledged by the New York Times in 2000 as well.

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)

Norman Perceval Rockwell was born on February 3, 1894, in New York. He was one of the two children born to Jarvis Waring Rockwell and Nancy Rockwell. His father worked in a textile firm. Norman took avid interest in paintings, since his early teens, and joined The New York School of Art at the age of 14.

Joining Art Students League at the National Academy of Design
With an aim to make it big in the world of art, Norman got enrolled in the National Academy of Design at the age of 16. Here he joined the Art Students League, wherein he got guidance from some of the great names in the world of arts, such as Thomas Fogarty and George Bridgman. While he was at the Art Students League, Thomas Fogarty who guided Norman with illustrations, sent him to a reputed publisher.

The publisher was quite happy with Norman's performance, and awarded him a job of illustrating for a children's book. His next assignment came, in the form of illustrations for the Boys' Life, a renowned magazine published by the Boy Scouts of America. His first published illustration was the Scout at Ship's Wheel for the September 1913 issue of Boy's Life. One assignment led to another, and soon Norman was appointed the art director for the magazine.

Life in The Saturday Evening Post
In 1916, Norman went to Philadelphia, to meet George Horace Lorimer, the then editor of the Saturday Evening Post. Impressed by Norman's paintings, Lorimer decided to use two of them for the magazine covers, and assigned him with the task of preparing the sketches for the cover of three future editions. His first illustration for the Post came in the form of the Boy with Baby Carriage, in the issue published on May 20, 1916. This was just the beginning, as Norman followed it up with more than 300 cover illustrations for the Post, over a period of four decades.

This was one of the most memorable years of his life, as his dream of making it to the cover of the Saturday Evening Post was fulfilled. This also gave Rockwell due recognition, and very soon he was flooded with assignments from various publications throughout the United States. These included The Literary Digest, Leslie's Weekly, Judge, Life magazine etc. The year had yet another reason for Norman to rejoice, as he married Irene O'Connor, a school teacher by profession.

Second World War and Boy Scout Calendar
During the Second World War, Norman decided to join the Navy. Though, he was not able to make it to the actual forces that participated in the action, he did join Navy as a military artist for the camp newspaper. In the meanwhile, he continued to sketch for several leading publications. In 1920, he painted a picture for the popular Boy Scout calendar for the first time. He continued to contribute for this calendar for the next 50 years. Norman divorced Irene in 1929, and the following year, he married Mary Barstow. Around a decade later the couple and their three sons moved to a huge property in Arlington, Vermont. In 1939, he got a chance to exhibit his individual collection at the Milwaukee Art Institute.

Renowned Paintings
Norman Rockwell's Four Freedoms series: the Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear, was based on President Franklin Roosevelt's description of 'four essential human freedoms'. These paintings, which were published in the Saturday Evening Post, became so popular that even the other publications were keen on reprinting them in their editions. These paintings were also taken on the national tour, meant to sell war bonds. He also illustrated for Hallmark greeting cards, books such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and many more publishers in the years to come.

Last Years of the Legendary Painter
In 1943, Rockwell lost the original copies of some of his famous paintings when his studio caught fire. Following this incidence, the Rockwell family moved to Massachusetts in 1953. Another blow came in 1959, when his wife Mary Barstow died due to a heart attack. In 1961, he married Molly Punderson, a retired school teacher, who became his third wife. His last contribution to the Post came in December 1963, after which the magazine format was revised. In 1969, he had another solo-exhibition in New York. His last contribution for the Boy Scout calendar came in 1975. Norman continued painting for the rest of his life, until he died on November 8, 1978.

In his life, Rockwell won several accolades, including the Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Massachusetts. One of his famous quotes - "I'll never have enough time to paint all the pictures I'd like to"., speaks volumes about this great painter.