Freedom From Wants Norman Rockwell Analysis

With Thanksgiving only a few days away, I could not help but choose to analyze and interpret Norman Rockwell’s painting Freedom From Want, also known as The Thanksgiving Picture. It is Thanksgiving day and in the top center of the painting, the grandparents have a large turkey that they are going to carve. On the long dining table, there is also celery, a casserole dish, and other small side items. There is a large window behind the grandparents with a white curtain, letting in a lot of light. All around the table, relatives of all ages are gathered and seated, ready to eat with their family. They are all laughing and talking to each other, probably catching up with one another. The table is white, the plates are white, and everyone is drinking …show more content…
When you first look at this painting, your eyes go directly to the turkey, The turkey stands out because while the rest of the painting is white or blue, the turkey is a dark brown. The turkey also stands out because it is overwhelmingly large compared to the other dishes portrayed in the painting. Another visual element showcased in this piece would be lines, more specifically, implied lines. Once we look at the turkey, our eyes are also drawn to the people sitting around the table. First, you look at the little kid who is sitting to the left of his grandfather, and if you follow his line of vision, you next look at the man sitting closest to the bottom left of the picture. If you were to follow each person’s line of vision, you would never stop looking at the family that was seated at the dinner table. Not to mention, you also have the man on the bottom right of the painting looking outwards. Rockwell did an amazing job by engaging your imagination. Not only are we entertained by what is going on in the painting, but we are also thinking about what kind of Thanksgiving chaos could be happening on the outside of this …show more content…
Balance is achieved when there is an even distribution of weight throughout an artwork. When you look at this painting, there is not more weight on one side than on the other. There are the same number of guests on each side of the dinner table, so that is balanced. Also, if you look at the table setting itself, there is not a lot of food on either side. The food is evenly distributed on the table, therefore even the dinner placement is balanced. The other principle of design in this painting would be emphasis, which is when the artist wants the audience to focus on one aspect. This can be achieved by making a contrast of some sort. In this case, the contrast was between light and dark colors. In this painting, the table is white, the plates are white, the curtain is white, so you cannot help looking at the family members and the turkey, because they are such darker colors. Also, the greatness of the turkey is offset by the lack of food elsewhere in the picture, and also by the fact that water is the only drink being