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Norman Rockwell
A Bright Future for Banking
Painted 1955

Name: A Bright Future for Banking
Brand: Norman Rockwell
Rating: 5 (4 reviews)

About the Item

Few paintings capture our hearts and imaginations as those by the great American illustrator Norman Rockwell. His very best paintings are those that reflect his own hopes and beliefs that the world would be a better place down the road. A Bright Future for Banking, executed as a special commission for Chase Manhattan Bank in 1955, is one such work. Enjoyed by millions of Americans in the June 18, 1955, edition of the Saturday Evening Post, it is quintessential Rockwell in both its story and its execution. With his astute eye for narrative, Rockwell captures the hopeful expressions of these new graduates during what is likely their commencement speech. Each of his young subjects is contemplating the gravity of the moment and the seriousness of the adulthood that awaits them, while also exuding a youthful optimism that is present in so many of Rockwell’s most beloved canvases. The proud faces of his subjects and the exquisite composition of the piece perfectly demonstrates how Rockwell was able to capture in a single painting the essence of a generation. Norman Rockwell was America’s favorite storyteller, and his talents were actively sought after by the most important publications and companies of his age. His early success as a cover illustrator gained him a celebrity status within his niche market, and advertisers clamored to feature a Rockwell creation in their own companies’ advertisements. He painted A Bright Future for Banking in 1955 as an advertisement for Chase Manhattan Bank, and it is the only illustration he ever composed for the company during his long career. It remains one of his most iconic and impactful scenes, deftly capturing the youthful dreams and ambitions of the nation. Rockwell's ability to capture the character of the nation was prized not only by magazine art editors but also by advertisers. Nearly all major magazines of the day called upon Rockwell for his outstanding compositions, including Literary Digest, Life, Country Gentleman, Look and the iconic Saturday Evening Post. Taken together, his many paintings capture the essence of the American spirit. “I paint life as I would like it to be,” Rockwell once said. Mythical, idealistic, and innocent, his paintings evoke a longing for a time and place that existed in his rich imagination and in the hopes and aspirations of the nation. Norman Rockwell led a long and successful career as an artist. While history was in the making all around him, Rockwell chose to fill his canvases with the small details and nuances of ordinary people in everyday life. Taken together, his many paintings capture the essence of the American spirit. Rockwell said, "Without thinking too much about it in specific terms, I was showing the America I knew and observed to others who might not have noticed." Painting poignant pictures that graced the covers of Literary Digest, the Saturday Evening Post, American, Life, Country Gentleman, and Look magazines, Rockwell's distinguished career earned him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977, the highest honor bestowed upon an American civilian. This important work is pictured in Norman Rockwell: A Definitive Catalogue, Volume I, by Laurie Norton Moffatt. Painted in 1955 Canvas: 18 3/4" high x 22 1/4" wide Frame: 23 3/4" high x 27 1/4" wide

Creator:
Norman Rockwell (1894 - 1978, American)
Creation Year:
Painted 1955
Dimensions:
Height: 23.75 in (60.33 cm)Width: 27.25 in (69.22 cm)
Medium:
Canvas,Oil
Movement Style:
American Modern
Period:
20th Century
Condition:
Gallery Location:
New Orleans, LA
Reference Number:
Seller: 31-23621stDibs: LU1867170522

Shop All Norman Rockwell

Norman Rockwell

Norman Rockwell is among the most revered painters of the 20th century. His figurative and portrait paintings reflect an innocent and idyllic America described by the artist as "life as I would like it to be." For nearly 50 years, he illustrated the covers of The Saturday Evening Post in a rich and emotive style that gave distinctive personalities to his imagined characters. In total, Norman Rockwell created more than 4,000 works of art over the course of his life.

Rockwell was born in 1894 in New York City. His artistic aspirations took shape early on, and when he was 14 years old, he took classes at the New York School of the Art, which is now the Parsons School of Design. Later, he attended the Art Students League of New York, where he studied under influential painters Thomas Fogarty and George Bridgman. While still a teen, Rockwell became art director of the Boy Scouts of America publication Boys' Life.

At 21, Rockwell moved to New Rochelle, New York, and opened a studio with fellow illustrator Victor Clyde Forsythe. He created illustrations for magazines like Literary Digest and Life before his first cover for The Saturday Evening Post was published when he was 22. In 1939, after moving to Arlington, Vermont, Rockwell pivoted to making the nostalgic paintings of small-town and iconic America for which he is best known — scenes of Christmas dinner, children playing in the street and national treasures like Ruby Bridges and Rosie the Riveter.

In 1943, a speech previously given by President Franklin Roosevelt inspired Rockwell to create his most famous series, “The Four Freedoms,” which was exhibited all over the United States. The series included four pieces entitled Freedom of Speech, Freedom to Worship, Freedom from Want and Freedom from Fear.

Rockwell moved with his family to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, in 1953, where he spent the rest of his life. My Adventures as an Illustrator — the autobiography Rockwell wrote with the help of his son, Thomas — was published in 1960. In 1963, Rockwell ceased working with The Saturday Evening Post and started drawing illustrations for Look magazine.

The world’s largest collection of original Rockwell art can be found at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge. The artist was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977, and he passed away peacefully in his home the following year.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of original Norman Rockwell paintings, prints, drawings and other works.

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