The Fighting Gillises 1944

Norman Rockwell made this illustration, The Fighting Gillises, which pictures a family wall of portraits, medals, and books. Rockwell was a popular artist who worked in the service of publications such as The Saturday Evening Post. He offered accessible, sentimental, and affirmative images of American life during times of social change and sometimes social conflict, like the Civil Rights movement. Here, Rockwell evokes American history and American families by representing members of the fictional Gillis family who have served the country in times of war, beginning with the American Revolution and continuing into the 20th century. This image creates meaning through familiar visual codes, cultural references, and historical associations. He links military service to patriotism, sacrifice, and the fulfillment of civic duty. The study of this image and its reception history can tell us something about the public role of art. By looking at the artist's biography, the publications that disseminated his work, and the visual culture of the mid-20th century, we can come to understand the social conditions that shaped its production and reception.