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Freedom from Want
 There is of course room for argument, but for me, no artist has so effectively captured the essence of
America
than Norman Rockwell. Thanks to the proliferation of Norman Rockwell prints, calendars and coffee mugs, most of us can visualize his work almost immediately. If you grew up in
America
, and perhaps even if you didn’t, there is undoubtedly a Rockwell painting that speaks to you. From patriotism to lovesick teenagers and from comical scenes to poignant images depicting social strife; he seemed to know exactly how to paint us right onto his canvas.
Every November, without fail, Norman Rockwell springs to my mind. There is something heavenly to me about his depiction of the holidays and family, and I strive for my life to imitate his art. Even as a child, I would find the huge book of Norman Rockwell paintings at my grandparents’ house, and turn to Freedom from Want with the grandmother placing the turkey on the table before the family. After checking to be sure we were in compliance with Norman’s expectations for our Thanksgiving celebration, I would turn to the pages depicting Santa Claus and begin dreaming of those two glorious weeks off from school and that magical day for which every kid and kid at heart lives. For the most part, I would have to say I’ve never had to try too hard to live the “Rockwell” life. I’ve always had the warmth of family surrounding me at the Holidays, and I’ve certainly not been without a bountiful feast every year of my life.
While his work has always been an inspiration to me, it is only recently that I’ve learned the inspiration for Rockwell’s Four Freedoms paintings. Two years after President Roosevelt’s State of the Union Address on January 6, 1941 in which he outlined a formula for the betterment of the world (Freedom to Worship, Freedom from Fear, Freedom from Want, and Freedom of Speech), Rockwell went to work creating a painting for each of these facets of freedom. In the throes of WWII, he sought to reinforce the importance of these freedoms on canvas. All four of these paintings are well known, yet it is Freedom from Want that is reproduced more than any of the others.
It’s tempting to surmise that our desire to be without want is what makes this painting so popular and preach a sermon on greed. However, I do not think that is it at all. I think Freedom from Want is so popular because it depicts the opposite of greed. The family is gathered at the table. There are smiles on every face as the banquet is set, and there is an ethereal glow in the room. It is a depiction of blessing, abundance and sharing. It is a Eucharistic painting, in which there are eleven people around the table, and the perspective of the painting places us at the end of the table as the twelfth. Freedom from want is precisely what we have gained in the death and resurrection of Christ. In him, we have been given eternal life. What more could we want?
In this season of thanks and celebration, recall all of your blessings, and remember that the first Thanksgiving occurred long before Plymouth Rock.
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