Norman Rockwell - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

Biography

Norman Percevel Rockwell was born in New York in 1894. Child, it presents natural predispositions for the drawing and enters in 1908 to School Hunting off Fine and Applied Arts. In 1910, it gives up its studies and between with the Art Students League off New York where it improves its technique at George Bridgeman and Thomas Fogarty. At sixteen years, it illustrates its first book Such my why, Stories and begins a long collaboration with the movement of the boy-scouts of the United States by illustrating the review Boy' S life . It is in 1916 that he proposes his first cover for the magazine The Saturday Evening Post , consequently it becomes the painter of the average American and its name is identified forever with this review of which it carries out the most famous illustrations and covers until in 1960. In 1935, it illustrates the novels of Mark Twain Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn . In 1943 it takes part in the effort of war by publishing the poster The Four Freedoms distributed in the whole world. In the Years 1950, it is regarded as most popular of the American artists and makes the portraits of Eisenhower, Kennedy or Nasser. It paints its triple self-portrait : by a Put in abyme, the painter paints himself painting itself while looking himself in a mirror.

The Années 1960 see the decline of the illustration to the profit of the Photographie, the artistic change of director leads Rockwell to leave the Saturday Evening Post . At the end of the Years 1960, it works for the review Look , and famous of the topics more in relation to the political convulsions of time. Its more famous illustration for Look represents an American black little girl going to the school escorted by federal agents, in full segregationist period. Towards the end of its life, it will still make advertizing posters and the calendar of the boy-scouts until in 1976. Norman Rockwell dies in Stockbridge in 1978.

Its painting

The art of Norman Rockwell is during one time turning point of the illustration, it is the heir to the American tradition of the 19th century and particularly of Howard Pyle, which was one of the most important representatives by its books of adventures, and which influenced it very deeply. Following J.C.Leyendecker its painting will be representative of a new manner which will be essential with the development of the Magazine S illustrated between the Années 1920 and 1950. It makes the synthesis between these two currents and, by its precise style and meticulous person, it announces the Hyperréalisme.

Influences

In addition to Pyle and Leyendecker, Norman Rockwell was influenced by Masters of Western art. Vermeer, Frans Halls, Chardin for their indoor scenes, the Meissonier of paintings of kind, the portraitist John Singer Sargent, one finds also reminiscences of Winslow Homer in its illustrations of Tom Sawyer . The English illustrators of the time victorienne had also a great influence, such those of the works of Charles Dickens or Lewis Carroll, H.K Browne, Arthur Rackham or John Tenniel.

In its turn, Norman Rockwell will influence many illustrators throughout the world.

Technique

Norman Rockwell clearly explained its technical work in two works, My adventures ace year illustrator and Rockwell one Rockwell: how I make has picture . It started by choosing its subject, of which it made several drafts and sketch to work out the starting idea, then it carried out a drawing the charcoal very precise with the format identical to that of the final fabric. It deferred this drawing on the fabric and began itself painting. It painted with the oil-base paint very diluted with the gasoline, each layer was covered with varnish to improve, which will have fatal consequences for the conservation of some of its fabrics, the yellowing varnish in manner irrémédiable.
As from the Thirties, Rockwell adds a new auxiliary to its work, the photography, which enable him to work with its models without their imposing too long exposure times, the process will have an influence on its work by directing its painting towards the Photoréalisme.

Style

The style of Norman Rockwell was described as storyteller (narrative). As illustrator, it made so that its works are in perfect correspondence with the texts which it illustrated (it is the case of Tom Sawyer ). For its covers of magazines, each detail had a role in the narration of the scene. Its work evolved/moved of a naturalism inherited the 19th century to a more realistic painting and specifies during its most prolific time. It also uses of the caricature to accentuate the comic character of certain situations.

Principal work

Boy with poussette (1916) * the Hercules of the Circus Barker (1916) * Gramps with the Dish (1916) * Redhead Likes Hatty Perkins (1916) * Public with the Balcony of Theater (1916) * the Reginald Cousin Goes to the Country (1917) * the book of the expenditure of father-Christmas (1920) * Mère which borders his/her child deadened (1921)
prohibited Baignade (1921) * Four Freedoms (1943) * Freedom of the Word (1943) * Religious liberty (1943) * Freedom with the shelter of the need (1943) * Freedom safe from the fear (1943) * Turned pink the riveter (1943) * Outward journey and return (1947)
Fund of the Sixth (1949) * To say the Graces (1951)
Girl to the Mirror (1954)
Rupture of the Ties of House (1954)
the marriage contract (1955)
Scoutmaster (1956)
the running away (1958) * Triple Self-portrait (1960) * Rule Of gold (1961)
Our problem with all (1964) * the new neighbors (1967)
the Beginner
the Play of the duty (1968)
Russian schoolroom Stolen in June 1973, was found at Steven Spielberg - March 3rd, 2007

External bonds

Museum of Rockwell, Massachusetts, U.S.
Museum of Rockwell, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Museum of Rockwell, Vermont, U.S.
Official Web site of Rockwell
Complete listing of Covers of Magazine of Norman Rockwell
Complete listing of Covers of Magazine of Norman Rockwell de Saturday Evening Post

Simple: Norman Rockwell

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