Norman Rockwell`s "The Four Freedoms" as Portraits of the USA

Norman Rockwell’s classic depictions of small town, family life has delighted the public for decades. A popular contributor to the Saturday Evening Post and other publications, Rockwell was born February 3rd, 1894. His work has often been considered timeless and is still quite popular, even today. Many of his paintings have been reprinted on coffee mugs, calendars, wall art, and even postage stamps since his death in November 1978. One of Rockwell’s most notorious series, The Four Freedoms, was inspired by President Roosevelt’s World War II-era speech of the same name. The series was well received by the public, raising millions of dollars for the war bond effort.

Inspiration for The Four Freedoms

• Behind the Paintings: A collection of stories, quotes, and inspiration of Rockwell’s series of paintings.
• Roosevelt’s The Four Freedoms Speech: A textual version of President Roosevelt’s speech, which later became inspiration for Rockwell’s four painting series.
• An Introduction to The Four Freedoms: Information on President Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms and why they are important to yesterday and today.
• Direct Quote from Norman Rockwell: A quote and a bit of background information about Rockwell’s inspiration for the Freedom of Speech painting. 
• Historical Context: A dissertation of the time period of the release of Rockwell’s series, including the events that inspired it. 
• Powers of Persuasion: Information on Roosevelt’s speech and how it inspired Rockwell’s painting series.
• Four Freedoms: Information on The Four Freedoms speech and its significance in history. 

The Four Freedoms as Portraits of America

• Norman Rockwell’s The Four Freedoms: A directory including scanned images of Rockwell’s four painting series.
• Freedom of Fear: A photo and description of Rockwell’s painting, Freedom of Fear, showcasing parents tucking a child into bed.  
• Freedom from Want: A photo and description of Rockwell’s painting, Freedom from Want, depicting a family enjoying Thanksgiving dinner.
• Freedom of Speech: A photo and description of Rockwell’s painting, Freedom of Speech, portraying a man speaking his opinion at a town meeting. 
• Freedom of Worship: A photo and description of Rockwell’s painting, Freedom of Worship.

Public Reception of The Four Freedoms

• Art Director’s Club on Rockwell: Rockwell’s life and how The Four Freedoms raised millions for the war effort due to intense popularity.
• The Four Freedoms Campaign: An explaination of how Roosevelt’s speech and Rockwell’s paintings inspired the public to embrace The Four Freedoms Campaign.
• NBC’s Brian Williams: One popular news anchor’s reflection on Rockwell’s work.
• University of Nebraska Students Respond: A collection of student interpretations for Rockwell’s painting series.
• Modern Artist Responses to Rockwell’s The Four Freedoms: Modern artists create their own interpretations of Rockwell’s series, focused on today’s society.  
• Wall Street Journal: Modern review of Rockwell’s timeless series.
• Contrasting Views of Norman Rockwell’s America: The authors of this review discuss The Four Freedoms paintings amongst other Rockwell work.
• Comparing Rockwell’s Time to a Post 9/11 Era: One author reflects on Rockwell’s work in conjunction with our modern society.