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To celebrate election day, today’s “Feel Art Again” features Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) at the request of readers Nerak and gmsc. Rockwell, known for his patriotic depictions of American life, painted portraits of four presidents—Kennedy, Eisenhower, Nixon, and Johnson—as well as several election-related scenes, two of which are shown above.
1. Norman Rockwell was sometimes referred to as “Mr. Scouting” for his long association with the Boy Scouts of America. He became the art director for Boys’ Life, the BSA official magazine, at age 19 and, though he only kept that job for three years, he illustrated the official Boy Scouts calendar for 50 years. In 1939, the BSA awarded Rockwell the Silver Buffalo Award, their highest adult award.
2. According to TIME magazine, “Rockwell shared with Walt Disney the extraordinary distinction of being one of the two artists familiar to nearly everyone in the U.S., rich or poor, black or white, museum goer or not, illiterate or Ph.D.” Rockwell’s art was so popular with the American people that newsstand sales of The Saturday Evening Post would increase by 50,000 to 75,000 copies every time his art appeared on the cover.
3. Rockwell was inspired to create his famous Four Freedoms paintings after hearing President Franklin Roosevelt’s January 6, 1941, state of the union address. Roosevelt identified four essential human rights that deserved universal protection—freedom of speech, freedom to worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. By the end of World War II, 4 million copies of the posters had been printed, and the touring exhibition had raised $139.9 million for the war effort through war bonds sales.
4. Several U.S. postage stamps were designed by Rockwell, including a Boy Scouts of America 50th anniversary stamp (1960) and a stamp marking the 100th anniversary of free city mail delivery. Rockwell’s stamp featuring Boy Scout Thorton Percival is one of the most popular U.S. stamps of all time with a printing of more than 139 million. Rockwell’s “Triple Self-Portrait” was featured on a 1994 stamp issued in his honor. Even Liberia had a Rockwell-designed stamp, which featured one of Rockwell’s Boy Scout calendar paintings.
5. In 1957, Norman Rockwell was declared a Great Living American by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who told Rockwell, “Through the magic of your talent, the folks next door – their gentle sorrows, their modest joys – have enriched our own lives and given us insight into our countrymen.”
For one more fun fact about Norman Rockwell, head to our 2007 post on November artists.
UPDATE: This post originally contained two other election-related covers from The Saturday Evening Post. However, I have discovered that they were not Norman Rockwell covers, so I have removed them to avoid confusion.
Slightly larger versions of the election paintings featured above are available: “A Time for Greatness” (left) and election booth, “Norman Rockwell Paints America at the Polls” (right) Larger versions of the presidents’ portraits (above and below) are also available: Kennedy, Reagan, and Nixon.
Fans should check out the official Norman Rockwell site; the Norman Rockwell Museum; the Rockwell gallery on ARC; the Four Freedoms posters; the Rockwell mosaic at the UN; this promo video for a Rockwell exhibit; and this How Stuff Works video on Rockwell.
“Feel Art Again” appears every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. You can e-mail us at feelartagain@gmail.com with artist suggestions or details of current exhibitions.
Comments (15)
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Hooray! One of my favorites of all time! I wasn’t familiar with his presidential portraits–very interesting. I just love his paintings–this post is just in time, I feel the need to be reaffirmed about America right now. It once was a place with a lot going for it.
Anyway, thanks a lot–great choice!
posted by kate on 11-5-2008 at 12:12 am
As a person who burst into tears at the Norman Rockwell Museum twice (once for the stunningly beautiful “The Golden Rule”, once for the heartbreaking “The Problem We All Live With” which was a comment on school integration), I am glad to see him profiled here. My faith in America is just fine. :)
posted by steph on 11-5-2008 at 12:33 am
Funny, I just listened to a recording of FDR giving that “four freedoms” speech online the other day, as part of my election warm-up. I love Rockwell’s later work for LOOK magazine, when he reflected a more diverse America, but I’ll always love his older works, too. And I had *no* idea he painted Reagan. And made Tricky Dick look warmly human. Amazing.
posted by Tea on 11-5-2008 at 7:20 am
There’s a great set of “nontraditional” Rockwells in our law library here at school, including “The Problem We All Live With” and an original sketch of “Southern Justice (Murder in Mississippi).”
posted by Jeremy on 11-5-2008 at 9:14 am
They had a Rockwell exhibit here in Orlando over the summer. It was brilliant.
posted by Nick on 11-5-2008 at 11:23 am
His self protrait (the one of him, his reflection, and him painting a much more dignified portrait of himself) remains the greatest self portrait of all time.
posted by erak on 11-5-2008 at 3:26 pm
Wow, that portrait of Nixon is scary good. It’s almost (but not quite) like a photograph.
posted by Random on 11-6-2008 at 12:44 am
In school I was taught the difference between art and illustration was illustration got across an ideal, and art got across an emotion. Many ‘artists’ of rockwell’s time said his work was merely illustration.
However, I disagree. Rockwell’s paintings transfer all the best emotions of man kind. Hope, nostalgia, love, patriotism, and innocence. He is without a doubt one of the greats of american art and I think all the more powerful because his art was so uplifting as opposed to something that dragged us down. Especially when you look at the era he started in (WW2).
Great article.
posted by Wayne on 11-6-2008 at 8:12 am
Rockwell is great. His museum in Stockbridge, Mass. is a must-see for any fan.
posted by Darren on 11-30-2008 at 9:09 pm
The Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass. really is a must-see for any fan.
posted by Darren on 11-30-2008 at 9:11 pm
For those of you in the Midwest, the Detroit Institute of Arts is having an exhibition titled “American Chronicles: The Art of Normal Rockwell” on view March 8-May 31, 2009. It will include all 232 of his Saturday Evening Post covers as well as 41 paintings.
I can’t wait to see it!
posted by Pam on 12-5-2008 at 2:52 pm
I was wondering if anyone on here knows about norman rockwells mother. My mom has some canvas yarn stitched things and she thinks they were stitched on the canvas by HIS mother…Also, any thoughts on who could clean them? My parents house was one of the ones that flooded in NW washington, so they stink (yuck!) and they have nasty water on them. Thank you, any info helps!!!
posted by Ashley on 1-14-2009 at 3:48 am
Ashley: I’m not sure how to clean artwork, especially the kind you’re talking about, but an art restorer may have some ideas.
posted by Andréa Fernandes on 1-22-2009 at 2:43 am
i had a pic on canv. of pres kennedy wanted to get value but thought the site would help but i was wrong can anyone help thank you
posted by joyce sharpe on 10-21-2009 at 4:16 pm
Joyce: An art appraiser would be the best person to estimate the value of your canvas. You could check your local phone book for art appraisers near you or find one through the Appraisers Association of America.
posted by Andréa Fernandes on 10-21-2009 at 4:30 pm