Rockwell's "Four Freedoms": Picturing Democracy in the US, presented by Dennis Raverty at GN Library

During World War II, President Roosevelt outlined four freedoms we treasure as Americans. Freedom of speech and freedom of worship were derived from the Bill of Rights, but then he added two new aspirations: freedom from want and freedom from fear.

Norman Rockwell illustrated these ideas in what is perhaps his most beloved series of paintings, The Four Freedoms. This presentation will examine these illustrations, placing them within the larger context of his politically inspired production over the decades, including his brilliant late work, which addressed the struggle for civil rights during the 1960s.Join us for an afternoon of art history as we continue to celebrate America 250.

Dennis Raverty is a speaker, author and art historian who for decades has delighted audiences with lively presentations at libraries, churches, synagogues, hostels and business lunches on a variety of topics in the history of art, from the Italian Renaissance to the Harlem Renaissance. His articles and criticism have appeared in Art Journal, Art in America, The International Review of African American Art, Art Criticism, The New Art Examiner, Prospects: An Annual of American Studies, Source: Notes in the History of Art, and Art Papers, where he was a contributing editor. He authored four entries for the most recent edition of the Grove Encyclopedia of American Art, published by Oxford University Press (2011).

This lecture will take place at the Great Neck Library (159 Bayview Avenue, Great Neck) on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. Registration is not required; seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, please call Great Neck Library at (516) 466-8055 or email adultprogramming@greatnecklibrary.org.