Ours to fight for--Freedom From Fear
By Norman Rockwell (paru dans le "Saturday Evening Post" du 13 mars 1943)
Printed by the Government Printing Office for the Office of War Information
NARA Still Picture Branch (NWDNS-208-PMP-46)
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seconde guerre mondiale President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Message to Congress, January 6, 1941
President Roosevelt was a gifted communicator. On January 6, 1941, he addressed
Congress, delivering the historic "Four Freedoms" speech. At a
time when Western Europe lay under Nazi domination, Roosevelt presented
a vision in which the American ideals of individual liberties were extended
throughout the world. Alerting Congress and the nation to the necessity
of war, Roosevelt articulated the ideological aims of the conflict. Eloquently,
he appealed to Americans' most profound beliefs about freedom.
The speech so inspired illustrator Norman Rockwell that he created
a series of paintings on the "Four Freedoms" theme. In the series,
he translated abstract concepts of freedom into four scenes of everyday
American life. Although the Government initially rejected Rockwell's offer
to create paintings on the "Four Freedoms" theme, the images were
publicly circulated when The Saturday Evening Post, one of the nation's
most popular magazines, commissioned and reproduced the paintings. After
winning public approval, the paintings served as the centerpiece of a massive
U.S. war bond drive and were put into service to help explain the war's
aims.
Civilians must have the war brought home to them. Every individual must
be made to see the immediacy of the danger to him. . . . He must be made
to understand that he is an integral part of the war front, and that if
he loses the war, he loses everything.
"À l'abri de la peur" . Pendant que la guerre détruit
l'Europe et le monde, l'Amérique n'est pas touchée sur son
sol. Le "territoire sacré est protégé". La
symbolique des parents au chevet de leurs enfants appuie cette image rassurante.
"La liberté d'expression". La tolérance est ici montrée par le vieil homme écoutant avec attention le discours prononcé par l'orateur, un homme simple ouvrier ou paysan. L'observateur du dessin se trouve dans la position des personnes assises.
"À l'abri du besoin". Évocation de la traditionnele
fête du Thanksgiving, toutes les générations sont présentes
pour ce repas de l'abondance. Le spectateur est assis en bout de table,
prêt à participer au festin.
"Sauver la liberté de culte". Le dessinateur met le spectateur au même niveau que les personnage du tableau. Le pilier religieux fondateur de la démocratie américaine est ici représenté.
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seconde guerre mondiale