Arnold Friberg, best known for his painting of George Washington entitled Prayer at Valley Forge, passed away July 1st at the age of 96. You may not know him, but you undoubtedly know his work. He was born on December 21, 1913 in Winnetka, Illinois to a Swedish father and a Norwegian mother. He took to art at a very young age. When he was 3 his family moved to Arizona where they joined the Church.
To members of the church he is best known as the painter of The Book of Mormon paintings. Adele Cannon Howells, the Primary General President in 1950, commissioned Friberg to paint 12 pictures depicting scenes from The Book of Mormon. She paid him $1000 a piece. Sadly, she never saw the finished paintings, as she passed away before they were completed. But on the night she died she sold some property to raise the money to pay for the paintings. These paintings went on to be included in millions of copies of The Book of Mormon. They are part of the gospel art kit which we can use in our lessons at church.
Epic filmmaker Cecil B. Demille commissioned Friberg to paint scenes of his classic, The Ten Commandments, that served as models for the movie. Friberg even contributed to the costume design of the film, earning him an Oscar nomination. It was Friberg that chose the colors and design of Charlton Heston’s Moses robe. He chose red with black and white stripes to contrast with the Egyptians lighter clothes. It turned out to be inspired as later research determined that the colors of the tribe of Levi, of which Moses was a part, were red, white and black.
As for the famous George Washington painting, Friberg studied the President’s actual uniform in the Smithsonian. He also went to Valley Forge in the dead of winter. On the banks of the Schuylkill River, he took off his gloves and sketched until his hands were too frozen to continue. The original painting has been appraised at $12 million and is a favorite of recent US Presidents. He has also painted Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles as well as a series of works of Canadian Mounties.
What amazes me most about this man is that he never stopped working. An article from The Salt Lake Tribune states that at age 92 he was still painting 7 hours a day from breakfast to dinner with no breaks. At the time of his death there were plans for a Friberg museum in Utah to house all his major works, including the Washington painting. There was also a commemorative statue that was to be unveiled at Utah Valley University, but his unexpected passing has postponed the tribute for the time being.
Perhaps the lesson Friberg’s life exemplifies is one of talent: We are all given talents to share and to help those around us. Arnold Friberg used his talent in ways to inspire the world. He “let his light so shine” and left a positive impact upon the world.
I was in Utah at a Deseret Book on July 1st when I heard of Friberg’s passing. I consider Friberg a quintescential Mormon artist. He did a lot to bring Mormon Art to the public at large. What an example he was. He will be missed.
I had the unexpected privilege of visiting Arnold Friberg in his studio, with my brother, Orson Clay, and Elder Hugh Pinnock. At that time, Arnold Friberg had his original painting of, “Prayer At Valley Forge, on one wall of his studio, and it covered the whole wall. It was magnificent! (He also had some copies of the Book of Mormon pictures he had painted, on other walls. I bought one of the prints, and he signed it for me, for $10.00.) It was a day I’ll never forget. About 10 years later, I bought one of his signed and numbered prints, beautifully framed. It hangs over my fireplace, and is a real treasure and reminder of that visit so many years ago.
Arnold Friberg played a key role in my conversion to the LDS Church. When I was 15 years old a friend invited me to attended church with her and come to her home for dinner after church. That evening her primary-age brother told me stories from the Book of Mormon by telling me the stories related to the stories depicted in Friberg’s paintings. The spirit bore witness to me that these stories were true. I asked to borrow a Book of Mormon. I read it all night and into the next day until I finished it. Through that experience I gained a testimony of the restored gospel and was baptized shortly after. That was in 1974 and have been blessed with a wonderful family all active in the Church today. The role that those paintings played in bringing the gospel into my life is significant; they’ve had a profound effect on my life on earth and my eternal life. My life has been richly blessed because of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, the restored Priesthood, the Gift of the Holy Ghost and the Saving Ordinance that bind families together forever and enable us to one day live with our Father in Heaven again. Words cannot fully express the gratitude I have for Arnold Friberg for the important role his paintings played in bringing these blessings into my life. He will always have a special place in my heart.
When I was battling a very rare form of cancer that some refer to as the “silent killer” I saw that Bro. Friberg’s painting “Peace Be Still” was on sale from Deseret Book. I have never purchased a piece of art because I could never justify spending so much money on my limited income. However, during my chemotherapy treatments I was given a framed quote from the Young Women in my ward saying “Sometimes the Lord calms the storm and sometimes the Lord lets the storm rage and calms the child.” This helped me get through the tougher days of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation treatments. So when I saw the print on sale I knew I had to have it as it spoke to me in such a profound way. I had it delivered to my work address so that I could be sure of it not being left at my doorstep. When it arrived I realized I had not paid attention to the dimensions in the description. Because it is so large I decided to have it hung in my office. I work at the Archdiocese in my city. Even among all the Catholic art around the building I have received so many wonderful comments on this and have been able to share my testimony because of it.
I got to sit down with Richard G. Oman, former Senior Curator at the LDS Church History Museum, just a few days after Friberg’s passing and we talked specifically about the Book of Mormon paintings. Very interesting perspectives I had never considered before–learned a lot.
Steven
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