Rockwell preferred to be considered a genre painter rather than just an illustrator, and he is most likely recognized for a specific sort of painting rather than individual works, and his image of the US small town has crept into the country’s collective psyche.Norman Rockwell’s art from his later period displayed the impact of Social Realism.
Painting during a period when abstract painting was quickly gaining some popularity, Rockwell was adamant that his positive and straightforward pictures were superior to the self-indulgences of abstraction exploration.
Norman Rockwell liked sketching from a young age, so his father used to often sit with them drawing with him and Jerry, his brother, at the home dining table many times.
Norman began attending art studies at The Chase School of Art when he was 14 years old, where he received his first training in art history, learning about John Singer Sargent and James McNeill Whistler.
In the eyes of fine art experts, particularly Clement Greenberg, one of his sharpest detractors, Norman Rockwell’s paintings were excessively emotional, too commercialized, and plain folksy.
During the bombing of Pearl Harbour, Rockwell created scenes that reminded Americans that their independence and liberty were the most valuable possessions they possessed.
Rockwell’s work is often seen as kitsch, with other artists not considering him a “serious painter.” Some reviewers refer to him as an “illustrator” rather than an artist, which he didn’t mind.
Norman Rockwell the artist was prolific and created over 4,000 unique pieces during his career. The majority of his paintings are housed in public collections.
Santa and Scouts in Snow (1913)Boy with Baby Carriage (1916; first Saturday Evening Post cover)Redhead Loves Hatty Perkins (1916)People in a Theatre Balcony (1916)Tain’t You(1917; first Life magazine cover)