Can you believe Thanksgiving is next week? As I plan the Thanksgiving dinner menu, I can’t help but reflect on this season of gratitude. Though we all know it’s important to be thankful every day, it’s easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. This week, I thought, what better way to reflect on the beauty of everyday moments than with the artist Norman Rockwell?
Rockwell’s images are as iconic and familiar as the holiday turkey itself. His art spans decades, famous for capturing everyday moments in paint. But what about Rockwell’s life behind the canvas?
This past summer, I visited the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where I also had the chance to explore Rockwell’s studio. Here’s what I uncovered!
Life Behind the Canvas
Norman Rockwell was born in 1894. Growing up in New York City, he developed an early love for art and attended several prestigious schools. He knew at 14 that he wanted to be an artist. He got his first commission for Christmas cards, before his 16th birthday. After, he left high school to study art at The National Academy of Design.
Rockwell was just 22 years old when he landed his first cover illustration for The Saturday Evening Post. This partnership would span 47 years, with 321 covers, solidifying his role as “America’s Illustrator.”
But life for Rockwell wasn’t always as picture-perfect as his art. Behind the smiling faces and cozy scenes he painted lay personal struggles, including two divorces and depression. His first wife also suffered major depression until her death in 1959. Still, Rockwell channeled his challenges into creating work that uplifted and united, a testament to his resilience.
Art That Resonates
Rockwell’s genius was his ability to tell a story in a single frame. This may be why avid collectors such as Steven Spielberg and George Lucas love his work. He was most known for showing the humor of everyday situations in his art. Still, while his art captured the innocence of simpler times, it also didn’t shy away from deeper societal issues.
In 1943, he was so inspired by President Franklin Roosevelt’s address to Congress that he painted the Four Freedoms paintings, which interpreted his view of the Freedom of Speech, Freedom to Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear. These works toured the United States in an exhibition sponsored by The Post and the U.S. Treasury Department through the sale of war bonds, raising over $130 million for the War Effort.
In the 1960s, Look magazine hired Rockwell. It was there that he produced his famous painting, The Problem We All Live With, a visual commentary on segregation and racism in America. The painting depicts the brave Ruby Bridges, the first African American child to integrate into an all-white school in the South as she makes her courageous walk. The painting is arranged so that the viewer sees the scene from Ruby’s perspective. Ruby never met Rockwell, but as an adult, she said,
“Here was a man that had been doing lots of work, painting family images, and all of a sudden decided this is what I’m going to do…it’s wrong, and I’m going to say that it’s wrong…the mere fact that [Norman Rockwell] had enough courage to step up to the plate and say I’m going to make a statement, and he did it in a very powerful way…even though I had not had an opportunity to meet him, I commend him for that.”
The Studio Where It Was All Created
When I visited the Norman Rockwell Museum, I toured his studio. It’s important to note that the studio is not in its original location as it was moved to be a part of the museum.
Here are some photos of Rockwell’s studio. It’s always an amazing feeling to stand in a creator’s space!
A Thanksgiving Legacy
What I love most about Rockwell’s art is its ability to spark a sense of gratitude for the everyday. He reminds us that there’s beauty in a family meal, in laughter shared, and even in quiet moments of reflection. His paintings encourage us to notice—and celebrate—the details that make life meaningful. Knowing he faced so many personal struggles as well reminds us that you should always continue to create your art. Art can heal, inspire, and help others. You should never give up!
Living in New England my entire life, Rockwell has always been a huge part of the images I grew up seeing in hanged prints at home and at school. In fact, I once met a formal model that posed for Rockwell! It’s such a part of New England culture, I added this line to my novel, ALL THESE THREADS OF TIME:
“The tourists came like pilgrims, as if spotting the autumn display would reveal the secrets of a good life, like the supposed ones masqueraded in Nonna’s Norman Rockwell prints. But June knew the truth; the only promise autumn offered was that winter was on its way.”
Though life isn’t perfect, I appreciate Rockwell’s ability to see the joy, love, and humor in everyday moments. Several years ago, a photo of my son was part of the Rockwell’s Cameral Phone Project in which various writers, artists, and photographers submitted photos they felt captured the innocence of everyday life.
Here’s the pic I submitted of my son, two years old at the time, listing to music at a historic diner in town. Click the link above for the project to learn more!
Let’s Share
What about you? Is there a Norman Rockwell painting that resonates with your holiday traditions? I’d love to hear how his art has touched your life—or what you are most grateful for this season.
In the meatime, wishing you all a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving next week!
P.S. Thank you to everyone that came out to support me at the Old Deerfield Holiday Sampler Show last weekend! It was such a great event! I love meeting readers and am excited to share my work with you! Here are my upcoming events.
All Photos of the Rockwell Museum and Studio taken courtesy of my iPhone.
Photo of Norman Rockwell Copyright by Underwood & Underwood. No. S-34774-4. Public domain photograph - Portrait, United States, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
References:
Admin, N. (2024, November 7). Norman Rockwell Museum - the Home for American Illustration. Norman Rockwell Museum. https://www.nrm.org/
Norman Rockwell. (2021, December 1). Biography. https://www.biography.com/artists/norman-rockwell
15 things to know about Norman Rockwell. (2020, June 4). Christie’s. https://www.christies.com/en/stories/15-things-to-know-about-norman-rockwell-ee1311d353354c0584b79125783633ae
I have always loved Norman Rockwells paintings!! They told a story!! Just like when you take a picture that also, tells a story! all you would have had to do was ask my late uncle Butch on that one!! Reading your article today I learned a whole lot more about Norman Rockwell. Thank you so much for sharing this.
I have always loved Norman Rockwells paintings!! They told a story!! Just like when you take a picture that also, tells a story! all you would have had to do was ask my late uncle Butch on that one!! Reading your article today I learned a whole lot more about Norman Rockwell. Thank you so much for sharing this.