Analyzing American Art Connections to Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman

The Four Freedoms Painted by Norman Rockwell in 1942-1943. A series of four oil paintings inspired by Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union Address. Freedom of Speech Freedom of Worship Freedom from Want Freedom from Fear Consider the emotions/feelings and attitudes that each painting evokes. What does each say about American life in the mid 20th century?

Consider Do Rockwell’s paintings depict the ideal American life? How? Why? According to your knowledge of history, how accurate are his visions of America, of families, and of culture in the 1940s? Keep these images in mind as we read Miller’s Death of a Salesman.

Now that We’ve Finished Death of a Salesman We will continue our analysis of American art. This time, we’ll begin by looking at the work of Edward Hopper. Just as before, consider the emotions/feelings and attitudes that each painting evokes. What does each say about American life in the mid 20th century?

You Decide Which of the paintings best represented what you felt life was like in the 1940s and 1950s? Which did you feel best connected with the feelings and sentiments expressed in Death of a Salesman? What contrasts did you notice between the work of Norman Rockwell and Edward Hopper? What about Jacob Lawrence and Jackson Pollock?

Your Creative Response Let the following images/set designs inspire you as we begin our creative response to Miller’s play. Think about how each reflects the themes, characters, and sentiments expressed through the dramatic choices Miller made.