Four Freedoms (Norman Rockwell)

Four Freedoms is a series of four paintings of 1943 by American artist Norman Rockwell . Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, Freedom from Need, and Freedom from Fear paintings of approximately 116 × 90 cm (45.75 × 35.5 inches) are now at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge , Massachusetts .

The Four Freedoms were proclaimed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in January 1941 in a Four Freedoms speech, in which they were designated as fundamental human rights that needed to be universally protected. The topic was included in the Atlantic Charter and became part of the Charter of the United Nations .

The paintings were published one after another in the Saturday Evening Post for four weeks in 1943, together with an essay by prominent thinkers of the time. The series became the basis of a traveling exhibition with attendant sales of military bonds organized by The Post and the US Treasury Department, which resulted in more than 132 million dollars. The works from the series were widely published and became the most recognizable - they could be seen in post offices, schools, clubs, railway stations and other public places.

Like most of Rockwell's work, these four paintings were perceived ambiguously by critics. Rockwell's somewhat idyllic and nostalgic approach allowed him to become a popular illustrator, a well-known commercial artist of the 20th century, but hurt his assessment of him as a deep artist. This view of his work is sometimes noticeable today.

A series of four freedom paintings was a major part of Rockwell’s retrospective art exhibitions, and Freedom from Need didn’t stop being iconic — now known as Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving.