Willie Gillis

From 1916 through his John F. Kennedy memorial cover on December 16, 1963, which was the most popular American magazine of the first half of the 20th century, with a subscribership that reached a peak of 4 million. Rockwell illustrated American life during World War I and World War II in 34 of his cover illustrations, Rockwell's artistic expressions were said to have helped the adoption of the goal of the Four Freedoms as set forth by United States President Franklin Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union Address. His painting series, the Four Freedoms, toured in a war bond effort that raised $132 million. Willie Gillis was a freckle-faced All-American character who served as one of Rockwell's main coverboys during World War II. The Gillis character is widely referred to as an everyman who epitomized the typical American World War II soldier. who derived it from the old nursery rhyme Wee Willie Winkie. Gillis was truly seen as the typical G.I., and Rockwell's wartime art remains quite popular: his signed original May 29, 1943 depiction of Rosie the Riveter sold at a Sotheby's auction on May 22, 2002, for $4,959,500. Some of the Willie Gillis paintings and the Rosie the Riveter painting were raffled off during the United States Department of the Treasury's Second War Loan Drive, The Gillis character endures generations later for literary and artistic comparison. == Post illustrations ==

Series review In Willie Gillis: Food Package, 1941, he toted a care package. Rockwell created a good ending for the series by depicting Gillis relaxing while studying at college on the G.I. Bill: The sixth piece, Willie Gillis in Church, is the earliest of his works with significant religious themes. This final component of the series, Willie Gillis in College, engenders much critical review because it is perceived to represent a transformation of character. It is owned by the Washington Mutual Bank of Seattle. In 2000, they loaned it to the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It is a study in contrast of mood and style from the wartime components of the series. Rockwell produced at least one depiction of Gillis that was not on the cover. The painting Willie Gillis in Convoy was produced in 1943, depicting Gillis, in combat gear, in the back of a covered military vehicle with his rifle in hand. Rockwell donated the painting to the Gardner High School for the graduating class, where it hung in the principal's office until 2000. The school then loaned it to the Gardner Museum. A charcoal sketch of the painting sold for $107,000 in 1999. There was concern that the painting was not hung in a secure location. In 2005, the painting was restored and rehung at the high school. In 2014, it was sold for $1.9 million, with the proceeds used to create a foundation to benefit the schools in Gardner. Models Robert Otis Buck served as Rockwell's model for Gillis and eventually enlisted for service in the Navy. His job in Arlington was as a sawmill hand. He met Rockwell to pose the first time when he was 15, and he stood tall and had a lock of hair that dropped down on his forehead. Rockwell had been seeking a model, and he met Buck at a square dance in Arlington, Vermont. Rockwell observed him from different angles during the dance, and Buck told him that he would "knock him flat" if he did not stop staring. He served in the South Seas during the war. The public enjoyed closely scrutinizing Gillis' affairs. Gillis was so popular that the Post received hundreds of letters inquiring about his tribulations, as many perceived him as real, and concern was particularly high among families named Gillis. == Modern references ==

The woman who posed for illustrations of Gillis's girlfriend was included in the 90-minute PBS American Masters series film Norman Rockwell: Painting America. The film coincided with the first comprehensive Rockwell touring exhibition, entitled Norman Rockwell: Pictures for the American People, which was a seven-city tour. The High Museum of Art and the Norman Rockwell Museum produced the exhibition that started at the High Museum on November 6, 1999, stopped at the Chicago Historical Society, Corcoran Gallery of Art, San Diego Museum of Art, Phoenix Art Museum, and Norman Rockwell Museum before concluding at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum on February 11, 2002. After the official tour ended, his post covers were on display at the Florida International Museum from April 2002 until June 16, 2002. In September 2002, they were exhibited at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, Massachusetts. During the first 16 days of the fair, through Saturday September 28, the attendance was 1,052,511. Rogers Historical Museum (June–August 2007), James A. Michener Art Museum (October 19, 2007 – February 10, 2008) and National Museum of the Marine Corps (September 28, 2009 – January 9, 2010). == Willie Gillis series ==

Rockwell did not name his works, but many of them have one or two names by which they are known. The following are the eleven Willie Gillis Saturday Evening Post cover paintings: • October 4, 1941 – Willie Gillis: Food Package/Willie Gillis: Package From Home • November 29, 1941 – Willie Gillis: Home Sweet Home/Willie Gillis: Home On Leave • February 7, 1942 – Willie Gillis: USO • April 11, 1942 – Willie Gillis: Hometown News/Willie Gillis: On K.P. • June 27, 1942 – Willie Gillis: What To Do in a Blackout • July 25, 1942 – Willie Gillis in Church • September 5, 1942 – Willie Gillis: Girls with Letters/Double Trouble for Willie Gillis • June 26, 1943 – ''Willie Gillis: Cat's Cradle/Willie's Rope Trick'' • January 1, 1944 – ''Willie Gillis: New Year's Eve'' • September 16, 1944 – Willie Gillis: Gillis Heritage/Willie Gillis Generations • October 5, 1946 – Willie Gillis in College == See also ==