Classic Hymns: Joy to the World

Norman Rockwell (American, 1894 – 1978), Study for ‘Freedom of Worship’, oil and pencil on board, 21 ½ by 17 ½ inches, (54.6 by 44.5 cm), Painted in 1943, Image Source: Sotheby’s

“Norman Rockwell executed the present work as a preparatory study for Freedom of Worship, one of the four paintings that comprise his iconic Four Freedoms series. Inspired by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union address, in which he outlined four essential human rights, Rockwell sought to capture the ideas of freedom from want, freedom of speech, freedom of worship, and freedom from fear through everyday moments of ordinary Americans. The paintings were published in The Saturday Evening Post over four consecutive weeks in 1943. The second in the series, Freedom of Worship, was published on February 27, 1943, alongside an essay by the philosopher Will Durant.”Sotheby’s