Rockwell, Norman (1894-1978), was an American illustrator. His paintings of everyday, usually small-town people almost always tell stories, often humorous ones. But they show careful observation and technical skill. Rockwell was a meticulous craftsman whose works portray homely incidents, well-defined character, and a wealth of supporting detail.
Rockwell gained great popularity as a cover illustrator for The Saturday Evening Post and other magazines. He also did art work for many advertisers. He illustrated the “Four Freedoms” of the Atlantic Charter in a well-known series of paintings in 1943.
Rockwell was born on Feb. 3, 1894, in New York City. From 1908 to 1910, he studied at the Chase School of Art (later the New York School of Art), and then at the National Academy of Design and the Art Students League. As a teenager, he became the art director of Boys’ Life, the official magazine of the Boy Scouts of America. Rockwell created his first cover for the Saturday Evening Post in 1916, and during the next 47 years he created another 312 covers for the magazine. In 1969, the Norman Rockwell Museum was founded in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Rockwell died on Nov. 8, 1978.
