Arnold Friberg

Arnold Friberg

(born 21 December 1913)

"Art is always best when serving a cause greater that the artist." Arnold Friberg

"Friberg, whose Swedish father and Norwegian mother were both Mormon converts and immigrants to America, began drawing at a young age. By the time he was eight, he had aspirations to be a newspaper cartoonist, but after studying at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and later in New York, he went on to become a noted commercial artist and illustrator. He is best known for his work with Cecil B. DeMille's film The Ten Commandments and his nearly four decades as Chief illustrator of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. . . .[The] legendary Hollywood mogul Cecil B. DeMille . . . commissioned Friberg to develop the artistic look and costuming for the classic film The Ten Commandments. The artist provided large paintings along with drawings of actors with their individual dress. Because the movie schedule was tight and the Book of Mormon series was not yet finished, Friberg asked President David O. McKay for advice.

President McKay replied "The Ten Commandments can't wait. They are making it now. The Book of Mormon can wait. Do The Ten Commandments." DeMille later described Friberg and his work: "Among the living artists who have dedicated themselves largely to religious art, one stands out for his virility and warmth, dramatic understanding and truth. That man is Arnold Friberg." from Images of Faith: Art of the Latter-day Saints, published by Deseret Book Company, Salt Lake City, UT,1995, pgs. 101-103.

These paintings are instructive story-tellers in their own right. Many Latter-day Saints form their visual image of the Book of Mormon from these pictures. They are full of action, personality, and personal interpretation. Friberg said, "I try to bring into reality the stories so often taught in Sunday school. These stories are not mere allegory; they happened to real people who had names, jobs, and grandchildren. . . . Through my paintings I bear witness to the truth as I understand it." Ted Schwarz, Arnold Friberg: The Passion of a Modern Master (Flagstaff, Arizona: Northland Press, 1985), 142.

More information about the art of Arnold Friberg is available on-line. You will find a brief biography and examples of his art. I also recommend the book Arnold Friberg: The Passion of a Modern Master, by Ted Schwarz (Flagstaff, Arizona: Northland Press, 1985) which may be available in your public library. Other pictures which appear on or in the covers of the Ensign are: "Ammonite Youths" September 1977; "Hemisphere" January 2000; and "Arriving in the Promised Land" November 1987. His original Book of Mormon paintings hang in a room bearing his name in the new conference center in Salt Lake City.

Twelve Pictures in the Gospel Art Picture Kit

(Eight of these are in the paperback The Book Of Mormon: Another Testament of Christ.)

Music is from the LDS hymnal and the Children's Songbook:

#302 The Liahona 1 Nephi 16:6-29; Alma 37:38

"And it came to pass that as my father arose in the morning, and went forth to the tent door, to his great astonishment he beheld upon the ground a round ball of curious workmanship" 1 Nephi 16:10

Hymn # 239 "Choose the Right"

#303 Nephi Subdues His Rebellious Brothers 1 Nephi 17

"If God had commanded me to do all things I could do them. If he should command me that I should say unto this water, be thou earth, it should be earth." 1 Nephi 17:50

Hymn #274 "The Iron Rod"

Children's Songbook p.120 "Nephi's Courage"

#304 Lehi and His People Arrive in the Promised Land 1 Nephi 18:5-24

"We did put forth into the sea and were driven forth before the wind toward the promised land." 1 Nephi 18:8

Hymn #270 "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go"

Children's Songbook p.118 "Book of Mormon Stories"

#308 Abinadi before King Noah Mosiah 11-17

"Touch me not, for God shall smite you if ye lay your hands upon me, for I have not delivered the message which the Lord sent me to deliver. . . .and his face shone with exceeding luster . . . And he spake with power and authority from God;" Mosiah 13:3-6

Hymn #266 "The Time is Far Spent"

Children's Songbook p.146 "Keep the Commandments" also hymn #303

#309 Alma Baptizes in the Waters of Mormon Mosiah 17:2-4; 18:1-17

"Ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you" Mosiah 18:10

Hymn #116 "Come, Follow Me"

Children's Songbook p.146 "Keep the Commandments" also hymn #303

#310 Ammon Defends the Flocks of King Lamoni Alma 17:19-39; 18

"Surely this is more than a man." Alma 18:2

Hymn #254 "True To the Faith"

Children's Songbook p.158 "Dare to Do Right"

#312 Captain Moroni Raises the Title of Liberty Alma 45:24; 46:1-37

" In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children." Alma 46:12

Hymn # 251 "Behold! A Royal Army,"

Hymn #340 "The Star-Spangled Banner"

#313 Two Thousand Young Warriors Alma 53:10-21; 56:44-56; 58:39

"Now they had never fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them." Alma 56:47

Hymn # 243 "Let Us All Press On,"

Hymn #249 "Called To Serve,"

Hymn #250 "We Are All Enlisted"

Children's Songbook p.172 "We'll Bring the World His Truth"

#314 Samuel the Lamanite on the Wall Heleman 13:1-16:8

"Therefore he went and got upon the wall thereof, and stretched forth his hand and cried with a loud voice, and prophesied unto the people whatsoever things the Lord put into his heart." Heleman 13:4

Hymn #303 "Keep the Commandments"

Children's Songbook p.36 Samuel Tells of the Baby Jesus

#315 Christ Appears to the Nephites 3 Nephi 8:12, 20-23; 11:1-12

"Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world." 3 Nephi 11:10

Hymn #117 Come Unto Jesus

#318 The Brother of Jared Sees the Finger of the Lord Genesis 11:3-8; Ether 1:33-43; 2-3; 6:2-3

"And the veil was taken from off the eyes of the brother of Jared, and he saw the finger of the Lord" Ether 3:6

Hymn #305 "The Light Divine"

Children's Songbook p. 174 "Called to Serve"

#319 Mormon Bids Farewell to a Once Great Nation Mormon 6-7; 8:2-3

"O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! . . . how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you! Behold if ye had not done this, ye would not have fallen." Mormon 6:17-18

Hymn #165 "Abide With Me"

Children's Songbook p.86 "The Golden Plates",

Children's Songbook p.119 The Books in the Book of Mormon

OF SPECIAL NOTE

Arnold Friberg (1913-) was commissioned by the Primary in the1950s to paint dramatic illustrations for the Book of Mormon. The color quality of the prints in your Book of Mormon is better than the orange tones of the prints in the Gospel Art Packet. It would be worth comparing both versions to be aware of this difference. It is particularly pronounced in #309 Alma Baptizes in the Waters of Mormon and #314 Samuel the Lamanite on the Wall. Discuss why this might be. Does the color change the message of the picture in any way?

Study Suggestions:

As we studied each print, we took a day to read the scripture story and have the children tell it back in their own words. If you are using the Gospel Art Packet, the stories are summarized on the back of the card with the scripture references. You may want to choose only your favorites from these 12 familiar illustrations. We chose 4 favorites and then added a Canadian Mounted Police print and the widely circulated "Prayer at Valley Forge" picture that depicts George Washington praying in the snow with his horse behind him. I read the family the story from an independent source. We found a brochure in an art print gallery that explained that Friberg painted this picture in the dead of a Valley Forge winter, using detailed museum sketches for the uniform and horse gear. An Internet search on his name will lead you to several sites which sell reproductions of some of his work. This is a great way to view more of his art.

Discuss the muscles. In his Book of Mormon art and Canadian Mounties series the men are supermen, heroes of epic proportions.

How did he show this?

Why?

What does a hero really look like?

When we studied the Mountie picture, it lent itself to be a story starter. One child imagined a little story about the scene. We also like to try and find a self-portrait of the artist. Friberg has a nice one of himself painting a western scene.

Watch The Ten Commandments video.

Collect your narrations and small copies of the prints in a Family Art Appreciation notebook. This will become a keepsake as you add to it over the years.

If you would like a larger print of the picture you may be able to check it out of your meetinghouse library.

Choose a hymn or song to sing as part of your fine arts study. If you are not familiar with the melody, study the words as a poem. Memorize the words. How do they add to your understanding of the subject of the picture?

If you can make it to the new conference center in Salt Lake City, visit the Friberg room. You will be able to see the original paintings for the Book of Mormon series.

Narration Examples:

8 year-old boy [Friberg's self-portrait] I saw an Indian headdress, a rifle, a Mountie hat, and a mounted police uniform. He was painting a picture of a Mountie going into an Indian tribe to find a robber. The painter is wearing a flannel shirt, holding a stick in his hand with a ball on it. The stick helps him to steady his painting hand. The picture has Indian tepees in it. It's a big picture. The artist painted the Book of Mormon pictures. He worked on the Moses movie (Ten Commandments). He liked to paint strong people."

10 year-old boy "The Liahona". This picture was done by Arnold Friberg. He did most all the pictures in the Book of Mormon. This picture has people in it. They found a compass-like ball. If they were righteous it would point to where they should go. And if they were not, it would go crazy. The most important person in this picture is Lehi. He is holding the liahona. He is in a white robe. He has a red hat to protect him from the desert sun. By his side is his son, Nephi. They have two camels. There are twelve other people besides Nephi and Lehi."

12 year old girl "Samuel the Lamanite Prophesies" is an interesting scene Arnold Friberg painted for the Book of Mormon. It is of a man standing on a city wall, and lots of angry people trying to get him down. The man has a long stick and he is stretching it out to the people. He is the center of the picture, even though he isn't in the center. Your eyes helplessly shoot towards him.

One reason is because he is wearing bright red, and another is because the brightest part of the picture is a sunset directly behind him. Also, all the people, mostly big, strong, army guys, are looking at him and shooting arrows at him. There is a man in the middle that is standing above everybody else, looking scary and shooting at Samuel. I like this picture."