19-A Norman Rockwell, Freedom of Speech, The Saturday Evening Post 1943, 1943
Norman Rockwell was known for his paintings of domestic scenes, children, everyday life, Americana, the issue of racism, small towns. Regarding his work, he said,"Without thinking too much about it in specific terms, I was showing the America I knew and observed to others who might not have noticed."
Norman Rockwell was known for his paintings of domestic scenes, children, everyday life, Americana, the issue of racism, small towns. Regarding his work, he said,"Without thinking too much about it in specific terms, I was showing the America I knew and observed to others who might not have noticed."
- Study this painting carefully
- What are these people are doing? The standing man is speaking and others are looking and listening to him.
- Find the words TOWN and REPORT. They are located on blue paper near the lower edge.
Where might these people be? They are attending a community meeting. Because MONT is visible on the paper, it may be a town meeting in Vermont.
- Describe the expression on the speaker’s face. He seems very intent and serious. He looks up as if he is speaking to someone above him.
- Describe the textures and patterns of the standing man’s clothes and hands. Compare his hands and clothing with that of the other men. What do their hands and clothing suggest about their professions and financial status? The speaker wears a slightly rumpled, zippered, plaid shirt and frayed jacket. The other men wear smooth, white buttoned shirts, ties, and suit jackets. The speaker’s hands are darker and rougher than the lighter, smoother hand of the man on his right. The speaker is probably a manual laborer and the others, wealthier businessmen.
- In what ways does this scene seem real? The closely observed details and the composition with some faces only partially shown are almost like a photograph.
- Who is attending this meeting? We see young and old men and a woman in a black hat.
- Describe the reaction of the other people in this scene to the speaker. They are all listening respectfully to him.
- How did Rockwell emphasize the speaker? His light face contrasts with a plain black background. Light shines on his forehead and most of the people are looking at him.
- Where is the viewer of this scene? The viewer is seated two rows in front of the speaker, looking up at him.
- How does this viewpoint influence our understanding of how Rockwell felt about this man and what he was doing? We look up to this man, making him seem important.
- What inspired this painting? Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union address. Roosevelt appealed to four essential human freedoms.
- Explain why this scene shows an American freedom. Why did Americans believe there was a connection between this image and World War II? An ordinary working-class American citizen is able to voice his opinions without fear of censorship. Americans were fighting totalitarian dictatorships that did not allow this freedom of speech.
- What are these people are doing? The standing man is speaking and others are looking and listening to him.
- Find the words TOWN and REPORT. They are located on blue paper near the lower edge.
Where might these people be? They are attending a community meeting. Because MONT is visible on the paper, it may be a town meeting in Vermont.
- Describe the expression on the speaker’s face. He seems very intent and serious. He looks up as if he is speaking to someone above him.
- Describe the textures and patterns of the standing man’s clothes and hands. Compare his hands and clothing with that of the other men. What do their hands and clothing suggest about their professions and financial status? The speaker wears a slightly rumpled, zippered, plaid shirt and frayed jacket. The other men wear smooth, white buttoned shirts, ties, and suit jackets. The speaker’s hands are darker and rougher than the lighter, smoother hand of the man on his right. The speaker is probably a manual laborer and the others, wealthier businessmen.
- In what ways does this scene seem real? The closely observed details and the composition with some faces only partially shown are almost like a photograph.
- Who is attending this meeting? We see young and old men and a woman in a black hat.
- Describe the reaction of the other people in this scene to the speaker. They are all listening respectfully to him.
- How did Rockwell emphasize the speaker? His light face contrasts with a plain black background. Light shines on his forehead and most of the people are looking at him.
- Where is the viewer of this scene? The viewer is seated two rows in front of the speaker, looking up at him.
- How does this viewpoint influence our understanding of how Rockwell felt about this man and what he was doing? We look up to this man, making him seem important.
- What inspired this painting? Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union address. Roosevelt appealed to four essential human freedoms.
- Explain why this scene shows an American freedom. Why did Americans believe there was a connection between this image and World War II? An ordinary working-class American citizen is able to voice his opinions without fear of censorship. Americans were fighting totalitarian dictatorships that did not allow this freedom of speech.
Compare this final version of the painting to an earlier draft, below. What key changes did Rockwell make to this earlier version of the painting to make the much stronger piece, above?
Other images:
Freedom from fear
Freedom of worship
Freedom from want
Visit the Norman Rockwell Museum's website! They've just added a neat exhibit of the photographs Rockwell staged and then used as reference in his paintings.
http://www.nrm.org/2009/10/opening-of-landmark-exhibition-exploring-a-new-body-of-rockwell-imagery-nov-7th/
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