"The Coward, Life Magazine Cover" Lot no. 4770
By Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
1919
28" x 24"
Oil on Canvas
Signed Lower Right
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Cover of Life Magazine, April 1919
Norman Rockwell’s The Coward (or, Woman Kissing Soldier) was published on the cover of Life Magazine in April 1919. Rockwell created this work after his enlistment in World War I. Reflecting on the grim realities faced by Americans during the war, Rockwell brings a playful levity to the period with this endearing scene of a woman greeting a soldier returning home.
Set against a pure white background, a bewildered soldier fearfully gazes at the viewer as he drops his hat and cane, startled by a young woman who leans in to plant a kiss on his cheek. Rockwell captures the heat of the moment with a strong sense of movement - the sash tied around the woman’s waist flies out behind her and the soldier’s medals sway at his chest as he struggles to regain his footing. The soldier’s uniform, decorated with medals earned during the war, would normally imply bravery and courage, providing an obvious layer of irony to the cowardly behavior he shows when confronted with an amorous young woman. The soldier’s exaggerated movements - the splayed fingers, puckered lips, wide eyes and impossibly high arched eyebrows - both heighten the sense of drama and add a sense of whimsy to the scene.
With its masterful blend of humor and irony, The Coward is an excellent example of Rockwell’s keen ability to produce optimistic imagery that could buck up the spirits of everyday Americans, even in the darkest of times. While Rockwell never saw active combat, he served at a naval base in Charleston, South Carolina where he was allowed to continue creating art with the idea that it would boost morale. Wartime inspired him, as he notes in his autobiography:
“One of the most difficult problems in painting magazine covers is thinking up ideas which a majority of the readers will understand… In wartime the problem vanishes. Everyone in the country is thinking along the same lines, the war penetrates into everyone's life. Johnny Sax, the boy next door, joins up; sugar can't be bought for blood or money; war bond posters are plastered all over town.”
The Coward is a charming example of Rockwell’s wartime imagery, which graced the covers of magazines and touched the hearts of everyday Americans. It’s easy to see why Rockwell is known as one of the most iconic American artists of the 20th century - his illustrations are just as engaging today as they were at the time of their creation.
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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.