“I showed the America I knew and observed to others who might not have noticed.” – Norman Rockwell
Norman Perceval Rockwell, The Saturday Evening Post’s most famous and prolific illustrator, is considered by many to be the greatest American artist of all time. He was a master storyteller via canvas and paint, and his works, capturing the triumphs and foibles of the common man, are as popular today as they were in decades past.
Rockwell’s talent flourished during a period referred to as “The Golden Age of Illustration,” when the nation enjoyed the brilliance of such illustrators as Winslow Homer, J.C. Leyendecker, Maxfield Parrish, and N.C. Wyeth.
Born in New York City on February 3, 1894, Rockwell always wanted to be an illustrator. He transferred to the Chase Art School at the age of 14, and then went on to the National Academy of Design and the Art Students League. There, he learned from artists such as Thomas Fogarty, and George Bridgman. Rockwell’s first major commission came in 1912, when he was just 18, with a book illustration for Carl H. Claudy’s Tell Me Why: Stories about Mother Nature.
Scout at Ship’s Wheel
Rockwell later produced works for St. Nicholas Magazine and the Boy Scouts of America’s publication Boys’ Life, and later he became the art editor. During his tenure (1913–1916), he painted several covers, the first, Scout at Ship’s Wheel, appearing on the Boys’ Life September 1913 edition.
Rockwell’s work for The Saturday Evening Post began in 1916. His family had moved to New Rochelle, where a 21-year-old Rockwell shared a studio with cartoonist Clyde Forsythe, who worked for the Post. Forsythe helped Rockwell submit his first successful cover painting, Mother’s Day Off, to the Post in 1916.
Mother’s Day Off
47 years later, Rockwell had published a total of 323 original covers for The Saturday Evening Post, the last in 1963.
Rockwell spent the last 10 years of his career painting about civil rights, poverty, and space exploration for Look magazine. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian honor, in 1977 for “vivid and affectionate portraits of our country.”
Norman Rockwell’s 323 Saturday Evening Post Covers Exhibition can be seen, through November 1, 2015 at the Fort Collins Museum Of Contemporary Art, 201 S. College Ave. For hours and fees visit the museum website, ftcma.org.