FOUR FREEDOMS SERIES by Norman Rockwell

I would be remiss if I didn't devote a post to Norman Rockwell's Four Freedoms series, which was inspired by Franklin D. Roosevelt on the universal rights of man.  Rockwell served as a military artist in World War I.  During World War II he painted the Four Freedoms.

Freedom of Speech
He illustrates a scene where a young worker
stands up to speak at a town meeting.  Symbolizes
the right to freedom of expression, 
irrespective of social status.

Freedom of Worship
He paints a woman praying with her hands folded 
in prayer with rosary beads, a reference to Catholicism,
and a man stroking his chin as a symbol of agnosticism.

Freedom from Want
He painted this for Americans to think about 
having enough to eat as an American ideal
worth fighting for.  The image also conveys the
 comfort that goes with eating around a table of loved ones.

Freedom from Fear
This depicts American children being tucked
into bed by their parents while the war rages
across the Atlantic. 

Norman Rockwell's Four Freedoms paintings celebrated American life in a way that bolstered patriotic spirit during World War II.  The paintings were reproduced in The Saturday Evening Post and were the centerpiece of a touring exhibition that sold over $132 million in war bonds.  The Four Freedoms are now considered masterpieces of American art and symbols of American identity and values.  They're often displayed in public buildings and are popular worldwide.