Norman Rockwell

Perhaps the most famous illustrator to come out of the 20th century Norman Rockwell was skilled with the paintbrush on canvas and paper alike and was a fantastic story teller through his work. He is most commonly thought of when mentioning the Saturday Evening Post covers that he did. He started working with the Saturday Evening Post in 1916 when he was 21 years old. He had shared a studio space with cartoonist Clyde Forsythe, who worked for the Post. "Forsythe helped Rockwell submit his first successful cover painting, Mother’s Day Off, to the Post in 1916. Forty-seven years later, Rockwell had published a total of 323 original covers for The Saturday Evening Post, the last in 1963." (www.saturdayeveningpost.com) He liked to scenes of everyday American life that people would not generally stop to take time to notice. Many of his paintings featured scenes of an idealized world or utopia where everything seemed to be going great and filled with happiness. In his later work he painted many scenes of human rights and freedom, specifically his interpretations of President Franklin Roosevelt's address to Congress about freedom. He also painted other Presidents like John F. Kennedy, Dwight Eisenhower, and Lyndon B. Johnson He died at his home in Stockbridge, Massachusetts on November 8, 1978 when he was 84.