Art Chowder November | December, Issue 24 | Page 38

I
n Norman Rockwell’s America
there was a continuity with the past.
Looking through old Post covers,
there are threads of human traits,
interactions, and little predicaments
that one can recognize and relate
to. And there were shared ideals.
Rockwell did a lot of illustrations
for the Boy Scouts (his first steady
job was art editor for Boy’s Life
magazine). The Scouts’ Law stated,
“A scout is trusty, loyal, helpful,
friendly, courteous, kind, obedient,
cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and
reverent.” When I was a Boy Scout
I was happy to go along with these
ideals, except when the reality of
human nature began to spoil it …
like my Scoutmaster’s son who was
an incorrigible cutup. Another scout
stole my grandfather’s U.S Marine
Corps jackknife and pretended to
help me look for it.
Rockwell’s America was not a
denial of reality but a choice of the
good, the true, and the noble. I’m
reminded of the line from Robert
Duvall’s character in Secondhand
Lions, “Sometimes, the things that
may or may not be true are the
things that a man needs to believe in
the most: That people are basically
good. That honor, courage, and
virtue mean everything. That power
and money, money and power
mean nothin’. That Good always
triumphs over Evil. And I want you
to remember this, that love — true
love never dies. ... Doesn’t matter
if they’re true or not, you see. A
man should believe in those things
because those are the things worth
believin’ in.”
* Norman Rockwell’s America™, © 2019 Exhibition curated and
organized by The National Museum of American Illustration,
Newport, RI 02840, http://www.americanillustration.org
and the American Illustrators Gallery, NYC http://www.
americanillustrators.com
All photos credit: © 2019 National Museum of American Illustration,
Newport, Rhode Island
Photos courtesy American Illustrators Gallery, New York, N.Y.
38
ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE
Norman Rockwell
“On My Honor”
1952, charcoal on paper
44” x 33 1/2”, signed lower right
Boy’s Life Magazine February 1953
cover study
This drawing illustrates a stage of
the process Rockwell followed in
creating his magazine covers. After
the editors approved the concept
from small sketches, Rockwell would
begin finding every element in the
picture, from location to models, to
costumes, and props. When he had
organized the design by means of
small sketches he would work it up
with charcoal on paper the size of the
finished painting.
In the background are words from the
Boy Scout’s oath.
Norman Rockwell
“Lunch Break With Knight”
1962, oil on canvas
34” x 32”, signed lower left
The Saturday Evening Post
November 3, 1962 cover
This was Rockwell’s last Post
cover with a story subject. The rest,
before he left the magazine in 1963
were portraits. This scene was set
in the Higgins Armory museum in
Worcester, Massachusetts.
Endnotes
1. Norman Rockwell: As Told To Tom Rockwell, ed. Abigail Rockwell. My Adventures as an Illustrator: The Definitive Edition. Abbeville Press,
2019. p.25
2. Ibid p. 89
3. Abigail Rockwell, personal communication.
4. My Adventures as an Illustrator pp. 336-7