Symbols of Freedom

Some sixty years ago, when the citadel of American Freedom was under siege by foreign tyrannies, Norman Rockwell painted his famed glorious celebration of our Four Freedoms. Today, when our great land once again faces challenged in a complex and often violent world, I have painted my own salute to the Symbols of Freedom perhaps as a way of silently affirming our most cherished beliefs and celebrate the foundation of American values.

As I worked on my Symbols of Freedom, I came to see that the foundational values I extol in my art are the very same ones that touched the hearts of Rockwell’s generation. On the left horizon of the national mall stands the Department of Agriculture tower, symbolizing the Freedom from Want which offers the security on which all the other freedoms stand. The national Christmas tree expresses the pageantry of the holidays, its glowing lights affirming the hope that burns in every heart through our individual Freedom of Religion. The severe obelisk of the Washington Monument represents for me the founding of our democratic republic which provided Freedom from Fear by placing government on the side of the people. Finally, the cupola of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial symbolizes our founding father’s steadfast commitment to Freedom of Speech, which he expressed so powerfully in the articles of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and other founding documents.

Illuminating these powerful symbols and touching the modest crowd is the glorious light of God’s golden sunset, a reminder that all people who share these four most fundamental freedoms are truly blessed by the Almighty.