Article 28 - The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (English version)

This piece is part of a collection of 30 xylographs, produced by the multimedia artist Otávio Roth (1952-1993), that graphically express the content of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). The series took two years to reach completion, with each piece printed on handmade paper created by the artist himself. Driven by the desire to democratize access to the Charter, Otávio Roth synthesized its message in graphic pieces that facilitate the understanding and memorization of the Charter’s content.

Roth was the first living artist invited to exhibit at the United Nations. His prints have been on permanent display at UN headquarters in New York, Geneva and Vienna since 1981. In addition to the English series, the artist produced other series in Japanese, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Norwegian and Danish, using techniques as diverse as crayon, watercolor and pulp painting.

About Article 28
French jurist René Cassin, one of the Declaration’s intellects, viewed Article 28 as the first of the trio that unites the whole Declaration. He used an architectural analogy to describe the UDHR, comparing it to the portico of a classical Greek temple - with a foundation, steps and four columns with a triangular pediment at the top (Articles 28, 29 and 30). Cassin described Articles 1 and 2 as the foundation blocks bringing together the fundamental principles of dignity, equality, freedom and solidarity. The Preamble – which explains why the Declaration is necessary - was seen by him as the steps. Articles 3 to 27 are the four columns: first the fundamental rights of the individual, then civil and political rights, followed by spiritual, public and political freedoms, with the fourth pillar dedicated to social, economic and cultural rights. Articles 28, 29 and 30 - dedicated to the duty of the individual to society and to the prohibition of privileging certain rights at the expense of others, or in contravention of the purposes of the United Nations - comprise the triangular pediment of Cassin’s Greek temple.