Born February 3, 1894, Norman Rockwell was a skinny, quirky looking kid with glasses and corrective shoes...Probably the last to be picked when divvying up teams for the neighborhood kickball game. But Rockwell had an aptitude for art and knew at an early age that he wanted to be an artist. At fourteen, he enrolled in the New York School of Art, formally the Chase Art School. From there, he remained in New York and went to The National Academy of Design and finally to the Art Students League. At 19, he landed a job as art director of Boys Life, The Boy Scouts of America's official publication.... and so began Norman Rockwell's life long career as an illustrator.
Was Norman Rockwell Lazy? No. Was he a workaholic? More likely. Did he have a passion for his work? Absolutely! During the course of his lifetime, Norman Rockwell produced over 4,000 original pieces.He was best known for his work for The Saturday Evening Post and for his yearly illustrations for the Boy Scouts of America calendar. However, he also provided illustrations for over forty books, including Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. In his later years, he worked for Look magazine where his work took on a more political aspect. As if this isn't enough, he was commissioned to paint various U.S. and world figures during his career as well. His repeteur includes portraits of Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Linden Johnson, Richard Nixon, Abdel Nasser, and Jawaharlal Nehru. He even painted a picture of famous Wizard of Oz singer/actress, Judy Garland. It's not surprising that Rockwell's work earned him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the U.S.'s highest civilian honor. He was also the recipient of the Silver Buffalo Award which is the highest adult medal given by the Boy Scout's of America.
During his busy career Norman Rockwell managed to find time for love more than once. In fact he was married three times. He married one of his models, Irene O'Connor in 1916. She is seen in Mother Tucking Children Into Bed. Fourteen years later they divorced and he married a school teacher, named Mary Barstow. Together they had three children: Jarvis, Thomas, and Peter. Sadly, Mary Barstow died in 1959 just shy of the couple's thirty year anniversary. Two years later, Norman Rockwell married another teacher, Molly Punderson, whom he remained with until his death in 1978.
I'm sure I am not alone in my belief that Norman Rockwell was the greatest Illustrator of all time. Perhaps Rockwell's greatest gifts was his emotional perception and attention to detail. He had a way of conveying a message by capturing a feeling... an expression unlike any other I have seen. When studying Norman Rockwell's work in it's entirety, you get a clear picture of both life as it was and life as it should be. He chose to reflect on the little things that we often miss. He depicted life's simplicities and the innocence of our nation's youth. In the same token, Rockwell was not blind to or unaffected by the issues of the time such as poverty, civil rights, racism, and war. Still he inspired us through his work to hold our heads high, be strong and fight for our beliefs.
Although Norman Rockwell was born in New York City, he lived the second half of his life in Northern New England. In 1939, He moved to Arlington, Vermont where he spent twenty years before moving to Massachusetts in 1959, his final resting place. After losing many of his great works to fire, it became imperative to Norman Rockwell that he preserve his work and legacy. And so in 1973, he established a trust that would later become The Norman Rockwell Museum at Stockbridge. If you are interested in learning more about the life of Norman Rockwell and would like to see his work first hand this is the place to be. The museum has over 365 illustrations and paintings and even includes Norman Rockwell's original studio and it's contents. Be sure to visit the Red Lion Inn and the General Store on Main Street while your up there. You won't be disappointed.
Article Written By Jessica Layne www.allthingsnewnegland.com
