"Hiking with Dog, Saturday Evening Post Cover Study" Lot no. 2851
By Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
1935 (Estimated)
26.50" x 29.00", Framed 46.00" x 38.00"
Charcoal on Paper
Signed Lower Right
SOLD
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Finished study for the November 16, 1935 Saturday Evening Post cover
The model for this drawing is Fred Hildebrandt. Hildebrandt was a fellow artist and a favored professional model among the New Rochelle illustrators. Rockwell and Hildebrandt developed a close friendship and even traveled throughout Canada together on a nine-day hunting and fishing trip. In addition to Man Hiking with Dog (A Walk in the Country), Hildebrandt served as the model for many other notable works by Rockwell including his Yankee Doodle mural at the Nassau Inn in Princeton, New Jersey.
Explore related art collections: Saturday Evening Post Covers / Black & White / Dogs & Cats / 1930s / Magazine Covers / Hunting/Fishing / Men / $100,000 & Above / Violence/Guns
See all original artwork by Norman Rockwell
ABOUT THE ARTIST
The pictures of Norman Perceval Rockwell (1894-1978) were recognized and enjoyed by almost everybody in America. The cover of The Saturday Evening Post was his showcase for over forty years, giving him an audience larger than that of any other artist in history. Over the years, he depicted there a unique collection of Americana, a series of vignettes of remarkable warmth and humor. In addition, he painted a great number of pictures for story illustrations, advertising campaigns, posters, calendars and books.
As his personal contribution during World War II, Rockwell painted the famous “Four Freedoms” posters, symbolizing for millions the war aims as described by President Franklin Roosevelt. One version of his “Freedom of Speech” painting is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Rockwell left high school to attend classes at the National Academy of Design, and later studied under Thomas Fogarty and George Bridgeman at the Art Students League in New York. His two greatest influences were the completely opposite titans Howard Pyle and J.C Leyendecker.
His early illustrations were done for St. Nicholas magazine and other juvenile publications. He sold his first cover painting to the Post in 1916, and ended up doing over 300 more. Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson sat for him for portraits, and he painted other world figures, including Nassar of Egypt and Nehru of India.
An important museum has been established in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where he maintained his studio. Each year, tens of thousands visit the largest collection of his original paintings extant.