Keith Rocco is a military and historical painter working in the United States.

Biography

His interest in military subjects developed at an early age. One of his first books, received as a Christmas present when he was ten, was The Golden Book of the Civil War, and he began collecting Civil War and Napoleonic artifacts when he was 14. Today, his collection includes original uniforms and artifacts as well as modern replicas which he uses as props for his paintings. His home and studio are in the Shenandoah Valley

Shenandoah Valley

The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...

 of Virginia.

Works

Keith Rocco is known for his illustrative paintings of the American Civil War. Individual soldier studies figure prominently in Rocco’s oeuvre. He has also been commissioned for mural work including three large murals for the Wisconsin Veterans Museum

Wisconsin Veterans Museum

The Wisconsin Veterans Museum, located on Capitol Square in Madison, Wisconsin, USA, is dedicated to the soldiers of the state of Wisconsin. The museum is composed of two award-winning galleries that chronicle the history of Wisconsin citizens who served in their nation's wars from the American...

 in Madison, Wisconsin

Madison, Wisconsin

Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....

. Another commission was for the Pamplin Historical Park and was on a massive scale: over 4000 square feet (371.6 m²). In 2003, he designed the centerpiece mural “Gettysburg”, for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum documents the life of the 16th U.S. President, Abraham Lincoln, and the course of the American Civil War. Combining traditional scholarship with 21st century showmanship techniques, the popular museum continues to rank as one of the most visited...

 in Springfield, Illinois. University of Illinois Press, University of Georgia Press, Chapel Hill, Military History, American History Illustrated, Napoleon Journal, Soldats Napoleonien, Le Livre Chez Vous and other publishing houses have all featured his work on their covers and dust jackets. His works are also in the collections of the National Park Service

National Park Service

The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...

, the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

, the Andrew Mellon Foundation, the Pentagon

The Pentagon

The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...

, the Atlanta Historical Society, the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

, Gettysburg National Park, the City of Fredericksburg

Fredericksburg

Fredericksburg may refer to a location in the United States:*Fredericksburg, California*Fredericksburg, Indiana*Fredericksburg, Iowa*Fredericksburg, Ohio*Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania , various places*Fredericksburg, Texas...

, Virginia, the National Guard Heritage Collection, and the U.S. Army War College

U.S. Army War College

The United States Army War College is a United States Army school located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500 acre campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks...

.

External links

• Keith Rocco's website, virtual gallery and studio
• Chartrand, René (2006). On campaign in the age of Napoleon: the art of Keith Rocco. Berkeley, CA: Military History Press. ISBN 0974877425
• Cozzens, Peter (1994). On campaign: the Civil War art of Keith Rocco. Chicago: Emperor's Press. ISBN 1883476011
• Cozzens, Peter (1992). This terrible sound: the battle of Chickamauga with illustrations by Keith Rocco. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 025201703X
• Girardi, Robert I. (2004). The soldiers view: the Civil War art of Keith Rocco. Berkeley, CA: Military History Press. ISBN 0974877425
• Girardi, Robert I. (2009). The Civil War art of Keith Rocco. Forest Park: Crimson Books. ISBN 9780984165209.