Happy Birthday Norman Rockwell!

left: Triple Self Portrait

bottom four: the Four Freedoms Series (Freedom from Fear, Freedom of Want, Freedom to Worship, and Freedom of Speech)

So I went on the Google homepage and found out that today is Norman Rockwell's birthday! He's one of America's most beloved illustrators, and he's one of my favorite artists. I loved reading about him and looking at his work as a kid, and I never grow tired of checking those same biographies from the library. Norman Rockwell (born February 3, 1894 – died November 8, 1978) is best known for his cover illustrations of the Saturday Evening Post and his patriotic "Four Freedoms" paintings that helped sell war bonds during World War II. He also created the fictional character Willie Gillis, a young soldier and Rosie the Riveter, a tough girl working the power drill while the men were overseas.

Rockwell paid attention to the most infinitesimal details, capturing every wrinkle of someone's face and refining every inanimate object within the environment his characters were in. As a result, Rockwell offers a rich slice of the American life in each of his illustrations. For the majority of his career, Rockwell depicted scenes filled with innocence, love, and charming humor. But in the later part of his life, Rockwell turned to illustrating more humanitarian issues such as racial segregation and man's first trip to the moon.

the Problem We All Live With

As a kid, Rockwell was made fun of for his thin gawky appearence and his buck teeth. No matter how much he exercised, Rockwell remained a very skinny guy and gradually accepted his lack of physical prowess. He realized that the only thing he was really good at was drawing, so he kept honing his skills and stuck true to being an artist. When he was young, Rockwell's dad would read David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, and Rockwell would draw scenes from the book. Rockwell went to the Chase School of Art (Modern day Parsons) and then joined the Art Students League in New York City. Rockwell's first jobs included illustrating for the Boys Scout Magazine called Boys Life, and his work has influenced many filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, who was a Boy Scout and grew up on Rockwell's illustrations. The films influenced by Rockwell include the Empire of the Sun, Lilo and Stitch, Polar Express, the Iron Giant and Forrest Gump.

As a young man, Rockwell tried enlisting in the army during World War I, but was rejected because he was underweight. So, he gorged himself with bananas and doughnuts until he met the requirements. Ironically, Norman was assigned the job of military artist and did not see any action during his term of service. Near the end of his life, Norman Rockwell received the highest civilian honor ---the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Norman Rockwell is such a beast, he really is an irreplaceable guy. People just love him, the way he jokes with his models and the way he smokes his pipe...and his work just makes everyone smile and feel all warm inside :) There is no denying that Rockwell's work displays a high level of skill that is difficult to surpass, and so far no one has left as big of an impression on the masses. Norman has left his imprint on the sand bar of American history, and he will be forever loved and remembered by the American people.