NORMAN ROCKWELL

NORMAN ROCKWELLNorman Perceval Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978) was a 20th-century American painter and illustrator.

His works enjoy a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of American culture.

Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life scenarios he created for The Saturday Evening Post magazine for more than four decades.

Among the best-known of Rockwell's works are the Willie Gillis series, Rosie the Riveter, Saying Grace (1951), The Problem We All Live With, and the Four Freedoms series.

The Artist - Self Portrait, 1960.

The Four Freedoms

1. the freedom of speech2. the freedom of worship3. the freedom from want 4. the freedom from fear

These symbolized America's war aims and gave hope in the following years to a war-wearied people because they knew they were fighting for freedom.

In his Annual Message to Congress (State of the Union Address) on January 6, 1941, Franklin Roosevelt presented his reasons for American involvement, making the case for continued aid to Great Britain and greater production of war industries at home.

In helping Britain, President Roosevelt stated, the United States was fighting for the universal freedoms that all people possessed that he called “the four freedoms”.

One of the “Wilie Gillis” covers. Circa 1942..

Willie Gillis, Jr. (more commonly simply Willie Gillis) is a fictional character created by Norman Rockwell for a series of World War II paintings that appeared on the covers of eleven issues of The Saturday Evening Post (the Post).

With the rank of private, Gillis was an everyman whose career was tracked on the cover of the Post from induction through discharge without being depicted in battle. Gillis and his girlfriend were modeled by two of Rockwell's acquaintances.

“Rosie the Riveter” is the name of a fictional character who came to symbolize the millions of real women who filled America’s factories, munitions plants, and shipyards during World War II. After the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and the full involvement of the U.S. in World War II, the male work force was depleted to fill the ranks of the U.S. military. This came precisely at a time when America’s need for factory output and munitions soared. The U.S. government, with the help of advertising agencies mounted extensive campaigns to encourage women to join the work force. Magazines and posters played a key role in the effort to recruit women for the wartime workforce.

Norman Rockwell, is generally credited with creating one of the popular “Rosie the Riveter” images used to encourage women to become wartime workers.

Rosie the Riveter, 1943.

Norman Rockwell’s ‘Rosie The Riveter’ cover for the May 29, 1943 edition of The Saturday Evening Post, was the first visual image to incorporate the ‘Rosie’ name.

Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life scenarios he created for The Saturday Evening Post magazine for more than four decades.

Rockwell's "Saying Grace" is considered by many to be his masterpiece. The illustration features a family of four, including an elderly woman, a young boy, and two adolescents, bowing their heads in prayer before dining at a crowded city restaurant. The illustration appeared on the cover of the Nov. 24, 1951 issue of The Saturday Evening Post, and has been interpreted by many as portraying a family dining on Thanksgiving in an unconventional scene.

“Saying Grace” 1951.

Numerous Post Covers Depicting American Life

Talk about what’s going on in the paintings and what you think about it!

What do you think might be going on in this painting?

How can you relate to it?

What kind of emotions do these paintings make you feel? Happy? Sad? Fun? Dramatic?

What would Mrs. Adams say about this painting?

What do you think happened?

Can the painter make us draw a conclusion about something that the girl may have been doing before we see this?

How do you think the girl in the painting feels about it?

How do we know?

What do you think these paintings are trying to say to you? What do you feel about them?

Look closely at this painting.

What do you think your day would look like if you could draw it out?

How does the artist relate to everyone in this way no matter who you are or where you come from?

What do you think the little girl is thinking?In what way does the artist tell you?

How do you think the family feels and how do you know?

Had anyone in this class ever had to move to a new neighborhood? What do you think these kids feel like and how do you see that from the painting? What do you think the artist was trying to say with his painting?

Look at the details in the painting and think about what the painting is trying to say to you.

Does it tell a story?

If so, what do you think it is?

How does the painting and what’s used in the painting to tell the story?

Look at the details in the painting and think about what the painting is trying to say to you.

Does it tell a story?

If so, what do you think it is?

How does the painting and what’s used in the painting to tell the story?

Both of these images tell a similar story. Do you know what it might be?

About The Problem We All Live With(for the older grades- you can choose to skip for younger grades)

On November 14, 1960, six year old Ruby Bridges attended Wil l iam J . Frantz Elementary School in the 9th Ward of New Orleans. I t was her first day, as wel l as New Orleans' court-ordered first day of integrated schools.

I f you weren't around in the late 50s-early 60s, i t may be difficult to imagine just how contentious was the issue of desegregation. A great many people were violently opposed to it , and hateful, shameful things were said and done. There was an angry mob gathered outside of Frantz Elementary on November 14. Sadly, i t wasn't a mob of malcontents or the dregs of society -- i t was a mob of wel l -dressed, upstanding, housewives, shouting such awful obscenit ies that audio from the scene had to be masked in television coverage.

Ruby had to be escorted past this offensiveness by Federal Marshals. Natural ly, the event made the nightly news and anyone who watched it became aware of the story. Norman Rockwel l was no exception, and something about the scene -- visual, emotional or, perhaps, both -- lodged it into his art ist 's consciousness, where i t waited unti l such t ime as it could be released.

The Problem we all Live With, Look Magazine Cover, 1964.This can be covered in more detail in the higher grades.

As our holiday break approaches…

What do you think the artist was trying to say about people around the world, different people, different cultures, different religions?

How did he show this and what is this rule known that is written on the painting? We try to practice this at PSE.

If you had to paint something to show this, how would you do it?

Thanks and have fun with activities and discussion!

Have a great Holiday Break!