Arnold Friberg
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Arnold Friberg is an American artist born on December 21, 1913 in Winnetka, Illinois[1][2][3], son of a Swedish father and a Norwegian mother[3]. Perhaps his most famous and popular patriotic work[1][4][5] is his 1975 painting The Prayer at Valley Forge, a depiction of George Washington praying at Valley Forge, the site of the camp of the American Continental Army over the winter of 1777–1778 during the American Revolutionary War. Friberg is also well known for his fifteen previsualization paintings for the Cecil B. DeMille film The Ten Commandments, used to promote the film worldwide[1][2][3]. Friberg received a nomination for an Academy Award for these paintings[2]. Friberg has been admitted as a lifetime member of the Royal Society of Arts[1], and has been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints his entire life[3].
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[edit] Biography
Friberg's family moved to Arizona when he was three years old[1], and he began drawing cartoons by the time he was seven[1][2]. While in high school, Friberg learned by meeting with the artists at the The Arizona Republic[1], and earned money by creating signs for local businesses[1] while being apprenticed to a local sign painter[2].
After graduating from high school, Friberg attended the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts[1][2][3], working for various local printers doing commercial art while attending school and for several years afterward[1]. This included calendar work for the Northwest Paper Company, for whom he created paintings of Mounties. Friberg has created more that 300 paintings depicting Mounties, and he is the only American made an honorary member of the RCMP[1]. In 1940, Friberg moved to New York City and began studying as a fellow student with Norman Rockwell under the artist Harvey Dunn at the Grand Central School of Art[1][2].
After creating a series of paintings depicting Western scenes for a calendar company in 1948[1], Friberg moved to Utah in 1950 in order to begin teaching commercial art at the University of Utah[1][2]. In 1953, he moved to Hollywood in order to work on the previsualization paintings commissioned by Cecil B. DeMille for The Ten Commandments. Friberg was hired after DeMille was shown some of Fribergs paintings by a friend[1]. At some point during the 1950s, Friberg was commissioned by the Primary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to create several paintings depicting events in The Book of Mormon[2][3].
In 1968, Friberg was commissioned by Chevrolet to create a series of paintings showing the greatest moments in college football for use in their 1969 advertising campaign[1]. After extensive research on the location during winter and the equipment and gear used by the soldiers at the time, Friberg created his 1975 masterpiece The Prayer at Valley Forge, depicting George Washington while at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania during the American Revolutionary War[1]. In 1977, he was commissioned to create a series of saloon paintings for the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, Nevada. Due to his previous work with the RCMP, Friberg was commissioned to paint HRH The Prince of Wales and his horse Centennial (great-grandson of Man O' War). This led to an additional commission in 1990 to paint a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, also with Centennial. Both portraits were painted at Buckingham Palace[1].
Friberg currently resides in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he maintains a studio[1].
[edit] Partial list of works
Listed alphabetically by title.
| Title | Year | Commissioned by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Intercollegiate Game | Chevrolet | College football | |
| Abinadi Preaches to King Noah | LDS Church | Book of Mormon | |
| Ammon Defends the Flocks | LDS Church | Book of Mormon | |
| Christ Appears in the New World | LDS Church | Book of Mormon | |
| The Consecration of Joshua | Cecil B. DeMille | Ten Commandments | |
| Dinner Companions | Western | ||
| End of the Day | Native American | ||
| The Finding of the Infant Moses | Cecil B. DeMille | Ten Commandments | |
| The Finger of the Lord | LDS Church | Book of Mormon | |
| The First Passover | Cecil B. DeMille | Ten Commandments | |
| Following the Star | Christmas theme | ||
| Gentleman's Foursome | Western | ||
| Giving of the Law | Cecil B. DeMille | Ten Commandments | |
| Her Hero | Native American | ||
| Heritage of the Lord | |||
| His First Ride | Western | ||
| Into the Valley | Native American | ||
| Knute Rockne at Notre Dame | Chevrolet | College football | |
| Lehi Finds the Liahona | LDS Church | Book of Mormon | |
| The Light and the Law | Cecil B. DeMille | Ten Commandments | |
| The Light of Christ | |||
| Long Trail West | Western | ||
| Maintaining the Right | Mounties | ||
| Mind If I Join You, Gentlemen? | Western | ||
| Mormon Bids Farewell to a Once Great Nation | LDS Church | Book of Mormon | |
| Moses and the Burning Bush | Cecil B. DeMille | Ten Commandments | |
| Nephi Subdues His Brothers | LDS Church | Book of Mormon | |
| The Night Christ Was Born | Christmas theme | ||
| Parley in the Forest | Native American, Western | ||
| Parting of the Red Sea | Cecil B. DeMille | Ten Commandments | |
| Peace Be Still | |||
| The Prayer at Valley Forge | 1975 | George Washington at Valley Forge | |
| Puffing Billy | Mounties | ||
| The Risen Lord | Easter theme | ||
| Sailing to the New World | LDS Church | Book of Mormon | |
| Samuel the Lamanite on the Wall | LDS Church | Book of Mormon | |
| Shepherds in the Field | Christmas theme | ||
| The Stripling Soldiers | LDS Church | Book of Mormon | |
| Tales of the Force | Mounties | ||
| Thunder Wagon | Western | ||
| Title of Liberty | LDS Church | Book of Mormon | |
| Trail Ends at the Sea | Mounties | ||
| Trouble for Butterfield | Native American, Western | ||
| Uncertain Odds | Western | ||
| The Wagon Wedge | Western | ||
| Waters of Manitou | Native American | ||
| When the Land Was His | Native American | ||
| Winners and Losers | Western | ||
| Winter at Valley Forge | George Washington at Valley Forge | ||
| Word of the Lord | Cecil B. DeMille | Ten Commandments | |
| Yielding the Right of Way | Western |
[edit] Influence on other artists
Friberg may have influenced other artists, such as Brom, as shown below:
 Mormon Bids Farewell to a Once Great Nation, by Friberg |
 The Dungeons & Dragons Hero Builder's Guidebook, with cover art by Brom |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Arnold Friberg. Utah Artists Project. Retrieved on 2006-09-30.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i The Book of Mormon Paintings of Arnold Friberg. Meridian Magazine (2001-09-30). Retrieved on 2006-09-30.
- ^ a b c d e f Rackliffe, Karen. Arnold Friberg: An Art Study created by Karen Rackliffe. School of Abraham. Retrieved on 2006-09-30.
- ^ "The Prayer at Valley Forge" by Arnold Friberg. Retrieved on 2006-09-30.
- ^ The Prayer At Valley Forge. Northern Neck Heritage Tours. Retrieved on 2006-09-30.
[edit] External links
- Friberg Fine Art (official site)
