Independence Day!

I thought it was appropriate to honor this holiday with a wonderful painting by Arnold Friberg.
Friberg just passed away on Thursday, July 1, 2010 at the age of 96. This is definitely his most famous work, and shows General Washington at prayer in the woods while the Continental army winters at Valley Forge.
Arnold Frieberg attended the Chicago Academy of Art, and then in 1940 he moved to New York where he studied with Harvey Dunn at the Grand Central School of Art. He was there at the same time as fellow student Norman Rockwell. He did a lot of commercial work and was made an honorary Canadian Mountie after depicting over 300 paintings of  them for calendars. After serving on the front line during WWII, he moved to Hollywood and did concept art for Cecil B. DeMille's movie Ten Commandments, for which received an Oscar nomination. He painted a large series of painting depicting major events in  the Book of Moron.
The above painting was painted in 1975 to  commemorate the United States' bicentennial in 1976. It is currently displayed at  Mount Vernon.