Arnold Friberg’s painting of Joseph Smith
April 21, 1988, presented by Elder Glen L. Rudd
This morning Brother Arnold Friberg was invited to attend the Quorum meeting of the First Quorum of Seventy. Bishop Hales had invited him to show us his magnificent new painting of the Prophet Joseph Smith, the boy, in the Sacred Grove. The painting was in the room all lit up for us to see. At the conclusion of the meeting, Bishop Hales told me that Arnold Friberg he had spent two full hours last night setting that picture just so it could be best seen by those of us in the room. He is a master of detail. After the song and prayer, Brother Hales made an introduction and told of his great love for and experiences with Arnold Friberg. He then had Brother Friberg talk to us and explain the painting. He expressed his great desire to touch the lives of people and to build faith and testimony in the hearts of young and old alike.
The painting is absolutely magnificent. Brother Friberg spent one whole year creating it. Months of preparation went into this work. Bishop Hales said that Brother Friberg had essentially called himself on a one-year mission to give to the Church this great painting. Brother Friberg said that it is more than just a boy among the trees; there is an invisible Power in the picture. All the trees and the plants and leaves are authentic. He spent weeks in the Grove studying everything. He said, “I felt the holiness of that ground. I wanted to feel the majesty of that sacred place.” He spoke of the little Bible by the hat being very small and easy to fit into someone’s pocket.
He said that a picture should move people. He told how European art was done years ago, manly for illiterate people. He said a picture should speak directly to the people. It should excite people He then told of the painting of Washington praying by his horse and how it has inspired people. He told of the painting of Captain Moroni and how it had given strength to people. He contrasted moving pictures with a still painting. He said a still picture freezes an exact moment for all to see. He envisioned the prints of this painting being hung in the bedrooms of young boys to inspire them and prepare them for the holy priesthood. He said in his own heart the never thinks the thought, “I hope people will buy this painting. I like to think that what I do is fulfilling.” He stated that his desire is to depict how people feel. The key is in the feeling, the spirit, not in the physical things pertaining to a painting.
He said it is difficult to talk about the gift he has. In fact, toward the end of his talk he said he sometimes wonders when the Lord gives gifts to people. Do they get it in the pre-existence? Do they get it as children? When does a man get the gift that is within him? In his talk he expressed himself s trying to show ‘the invisible part’ of the subject. He said that to express the subject properly, an artist has to have the conviction of the truth of the subject. He again mentioned how he hoped good prints would go into the homes of people to build faith and testimonies, not only among members but also nonmembers and our young people. He said that religious art is at a low period, that it is at the bottom of time right now He indicated there was much yet to be painted, many wonderful things from the Bible have not been done yet. In fact, he said that the Bible has barely been touched.
He was very humble in his approach. He doesn’t like to get out of his studio. This great painting has never left the studio before being brought here yesterday. It is still his personal property. He has already turned down $100,000 for it, but he want the prints distributed widely. No one knows yet where this painting will finally be placed. He was asked the question by Elder Brewerton, “Which of your paintings do you consider to be your best and has given you the most satisfaction?” With a big smile he said, “The next one!” He said, “No good painter has done their best work yet.” He talked about the boy in the painting. He said Joseph was a boy nearly fifteen years of age, a frontier farm boy, a strong boy, and he depicted him as such. He was also asked how long it takes him to develop the picture. He said that it doesn’t take very long, that it often comes just like that – pop! That is the way his paintings come to his mind, and then he has to spend a lot of time with the details.
Elder Theodore Burton spoke about his feelings about the picture and said that the painting might be entitled, “Seeking Is Prior To Vision”. There is no bright light. The Father and the Son are not there. It is the boy kneeling down seeking an answer to his questions. When he was asked to do the work for the Ten Commandments with Cecil B. DeMille, he was in the process of doing the Book of Mormon paintings. He said he hoped that President McKay would want him to stay on the Book of Mormon paintings and not have to go to California to work on the Commandments, but President McKay said, “Go and help Mr. DeMille.” Then he told of how he had to envision things. An artist starts out with bare canvas. A man giving a talk can say things, but an artist has to actually figure out the size and shape of things, such as the Liahona and other things like that. He said our concept of such things comes from paintings. The artist has to build respect.
There were many nice comments as the meeting concluded. It was a great spiritual experience. Everyone present was touched. There were many tears. It made me think of the morning years ago in the reception room of the First Presidency with President Clark, President Lee, and the Minister from the British Parliament when President Clark told the story of the First Vision. I also was reminded of the morning in the Sacred Grove with Elder Kimball about 25 years ago and how the four of us present spent an hour in the Grove, and the painting is just exactly what we witnessed on that great spring morning years ago. Added to those two great and marvelous experiences of my life was my experience this morning of feeling the spirit and great humility of such a good man, who is faithful enough to stand up for his convictions, and seeing the masterful work that he has just done.
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