Four Freedoms Monument
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Four Freedoms Monument was commissioned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt following his articulation of the "Four Freedoms" in his 1941 State of the Union Address. Roosevelt felt that, through the medium of the arts, a far greater number of people could be inspired to appreciate the concept of the Four Freedoms.
The statue was created by sculptor Walter Russell later that year, and was dedicated in 1943 before a crowd of 60,000 people at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was dedicated to Colin P. Kelly, the first recognized American hero of World War II. On June 14, 1944 the monument was re-dedicated in Kelley's hometown of Madison, Florida, with a speech by Governor Spessard Holland.
Another American artist, Norman Rockwell, was inspired by Roosevelt's vision to create his own visual depiction of the Four Freedoms — in his case, through a series of four paintings completed in early 1943.
