More than 30,000 people have flocked to see Norman Rockwell’s America at the Birmingham Museum of art, but Sunday is the last day to do so.

On display are all of his Saturday Evening Post covers as well as a rare glimpse at some of his more famous and not often seen works.

“We’ve enjoyed an incredible response to the Norman Rockwell exhibition,” BMA Director, Gail Andrews said. “Perhaps my favorite thing about this show is seeing the families that visit the exhibition together. There is a thread of humanity in this exhibition that is simply timeless and resonates with all generations. A soldier returning from war, a graduate unsure of his future, a group of friends playing a game of cards- these original paintings have  inspired so much conversation that the galleries seem to consistently hum. This is the sole venue for the exhibition in North America, and it’s only here until January 6. I encourage visitors to bring their families out to the Museum for this rare opportunity to see the work of ‘America’s Favorite Illustrator.”

“People are accustomed to hearing Rockwell described as an ‘illustrator,’ because he created works of art for magazines, books and advertisements.  Indeed, he was perhaps the greatest illustrator in history, but he wasn’t any less an artist. Behind each of his illustrations is a beautifully rendered oil painting.  Rockwell was a highly skilled and extremely versatile painter,” says Graham C. Boettcher, the William Cary Hulsey Curator of American Art at the Birmingham Museum of Art.

The exhibit was brought to Birmingham by Judy and Laurence Cutler of the National Museum of American Illustration—the first national museum devoted exclusively to American illustration art.

As an artist, his contrasting viewpoints, which showed up in his earliest works for The Saturday Evening Post, were something he became known for over the years.

But his techniques also changed as the times did. When he first began painting, the electric light bulb wasn’t found in the average home.

By the time his career ended, man had stepped foot on the moon.

“He was influenced by the great masters, but more importantly he was influenced by an illustrator who was also popular with the Saturday Evening Post: J. C. Leyendecker. That’s what started him on his cover ideas,” Judy explained. “And his art training is what reinforced him looking at modern masters as well. So he was influenced later on by Picasso and Jackson Pollack; so even though he didn’t do that sort of art, he won first prize with his one Jackson Pollack attempt. In fact on contemporary artist, Robert Rauschenberg, said his Pollack was better than Pollack’s Pollack.”

By studying at the Art Student’s League and being influenced by the old masters, Rockwell became interested in the work of Johannes Vermeer, who is known for depiction of light.

These influences show up in Santa’s Workshop as well as commissions from General Electric that were related for light. This can be seen in the painting The Party After The Party, which shows an older woman talking with a younger woman after what seems to have been a wonderful evening.

“He was also a detailed-oriented person. He would stage props, he would research props and lines to make sure the lighting was accurate so you’d always see the correct shadows and things like that,” Judy said.

“I think one of the things that crosses over into Steven Spielberg and George Lucas—who have both been clients of Judy’s for decades, buying Rockwell paintings—is that they’re telling single stories (with light) but it’s almost in reverse.”

In telling the story of America, as times change, he would change media. He also chose to show portions of America that were positive. Instead of portraying the Great Depression as doom and gloom, he would highlight the better side of human nature.

He would create characters sometimes and had favorite models to work with that depicted people as they were, instead of the beautiful movie stars of the day.

“What he captured was Americans doing what Americans do best,” Judy said, “Scenes that were normal.”

A good bit of the exhibit involves studies instead of the final product that would grace the cover of a magazine or advertisement.

“I thought it was really important for someone to totally understand Rockwell to see his thought process and also how he came to the final ones. It didn’t just get there miraculously on a cover. Rockwell worked maybe six months on a painting and he would start with assembling the props and be very detail oriented. So I thought it was very interesting to see the translation and relation and when an idea failed—or at least failed for the publisher—he (Rockwell) could still use it for another idea to expand it or develop it. But he was always refining his ability and was always looking again and asking advice and he was conscientious doing that; and that made him as great as he is today.”

People always wanted some part of Rockwell, and while he would do many studies for a piece, he didn’t particularly value the preliminary works.

“There was a little boy who wrote him who said his daddy’s really rich and could get me anything I want; but the only thing he wants is a Rockwell. So he (Rockwell) sent him a little study of the Jury Holdout,” Laurence said.

Admission to Norman Rockwell’s America is $15