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SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE: ROCKWELL’S “FOUR FREEDOMS” REIMAGINED

March 13, 2018

When Smithsonian Magazine put together a cover feature reinterpreting Norman Rockwell’s iconic “Four Freedoms” for the 21st century, they commissioned three illustrators from Theispot, and a photographer, to share their visions. Tim O’Brien’s Freedom of Worship made a stunning cover:

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“In the original Freedom of Worship, the five figures in the center are all white. The fringes are people of color,” O’Brien says. “That’s what institutional racism is, when you fail to notice things like that.”

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Melinda Beck illustrated Freedom of Speech with a strong, embellished silhouette style. “I believe in speaking truth to power. That’s why I got into this business,” says Beck. “I create a lot of political illustrations, and thanks to the freedom of speech, I can do that in this country and not be jailed.”

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Freedom from Fear is by Edel Rodriguez, who brings an immigrant’s perspective to Rockwell’s classic. “This is where people come for refuge,” he says. “When you see a family at a detention center maybe you will ask, ‘Why do I have a dislike of immigrants?’”

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And finally, photographer Ryan Schude recreated Freedom from Want in his sister’s dining room with members of his own family. “Rockwell’s paintings were idyllic,” says Schude. “That’s his style, but it was also his time. That was the kind of image that people wanted. I took a more realistic approach. There’s a little bit of tension.”

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