Wikipedia:Today's featured article/June 5, 2022
The Four Freedoms is a series of four 1943 oil paintings by the American artist Norman Rockwell (pictured). The paintings—Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want and Freedom from Fear—refer to Franklin D. Roosevelt's January 1941 Four Freedoms State of the Union address in which he identified essential human rights that should be universally protected, a theme which became part of the United Nations Charter. The paintings were reproduced in The Saturday Evening Post alongside essays by prominent thinkers of the day. They became the highlight of a year-long touring exhibition to promote war bonds sold to support the American war effort, which raised over $132 million. The paintings, now in the Norman Rockwell Museum, are his best-known works, but critical review has not been entirely positive. Freedom from Want became emblematic of what is now known as the "Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving", with family at table as a turkey is served. (This article is part of a featured topic: Four Freedoms.)