ARTIST: Norman Rockwell
PUBLISHER: Published by the U.S. Government Printing Office
MEDIUM: Offset color lithographs,
DATE: 1943.
EDITION SIZE: Average Paper size 55 3/4 x 40" (141.61 x 101.6 cm) Average Image size 42 7/16 x 32 1/4" (107.8 x 81.92 cm).
DESCRIPTION: Painting from the Saturday Evening Post. <BR><BR> Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms were inspired by Franklin D. Roosevelt’s State of the Union address to the 77th Congress on January 6, 1941. In his address, Roosevelt said: <BR><BR> "WE LOOK FORWARD TO A WORLD FOUNDED UPON FOUR ESSENTIAL HUMAN FREEDOMS PEOPLE EVERYWHERE IN THE WORLD OUGHT TO ENJOY – NAMELY FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION, FREEDOM OF EVERY PERSON TO WORSHIP GOD IN HIS OWN WAY, FREEDOM FROM WANT AND FREEDOM FROM FEAR.” <BR><BR> Images of the paintings were published in the "The Saturday Evening Post" magazine for four consecutive weeks from February 20 to March 6, 1943 and were accompanied by essays on each of the freedoms. After their publication, the Office of War Information decided to tour the original paintings around the country to help sell war bonds. Over the next few weeks, they were seen by 1,222,000 people and were instrumental in raising more than $132 million in sales of war bonds. At the same time, the Government Printing Office produced posters of each of the Four Freedoms. These were folded, placed in government envelopes, and distributed through the mail to schools, individuals, businesses, and government facilities. <BR><BR> In "FREEDOM OF SPEECH," Rockwell depicts an ordinary man, standing amongst neighbors at a town meeting and speaking his mind. Rockwell's neighbor, Jim Edgerton, served as inspiration for the figure. "FREEDOM FROM WANT" shows members of a large family celebrating a Thanksgiving meal. The Rockwell family cook, Mrs. Thaddeus Wheaton, places the holiday turkey on the table that extends below the edge of the canvas, as if inviting the viewer to join in the feast. In "FREEDOM OF WORSHIP," Rockwell departs from his established story-telling style and illustrates in a close-up profile a group of praying men and women, lit by a soft, golden light. The people vary in age, race, and religion, and above them appears the phrase, "Each according to the dictates of his own conscience." Lastly, in "FREEDOM FROM FEAR," the artist portrays a mother tucking in her two sleeping children, while the pensive father stands nearby, holding a newspaper with headlines about the bombing of foreign cities.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
CONDITION: Good condition and color. Archival linen-backing - with some minor restoration as necessary.
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