(ONLINE) The Life and Paintings of Norman Rockwell: “The Rembrandt of Punkin’ Creek”

Born in 1894, Norman Rockwell – painter, illustrator, gave us more than 322 covers of the Saturday Evening Post, 50 covers of Boy’s Life, and innumerable views of American life on the covers of Life, Look, Literary Digest, Country Gentleman and even Popular Science until his death at 84 in 1978. He left behind over 4,000 paintings that included portraits of Presidents, actors, civil rights leaders, soldiers and average Americans. His Four Freedoms paintings raised millions of dollars for WW II Savings Bonds, and today his individual paintings have sold for as much as $43 million.

This lecture is illustrated with individual plates from Rockwell’s illustrations, his studio, his models, and his family (as models). Norman Rockwell was among the first to take “selfies”, and we will study how he included himself with humor in his drawings.

 

Notes

For a limited time during this challenging health crisis, please enjoy this online OLLI class offered as a public service free of charge and without membership fee.