And He Cast the Tables Out of His Hands by Arnold Friberg

Arnold Friberg (American, 1913–2010)
And He Cast the Tables Out of His Hands
Graphite on paper
5 × 8 in.

This dynamic sketch captures the charged moment when Moses descends from Mount Sinai and breaks the stone tablets upon witnessing the idolatry of the Israelites (Exodus 32:19). Friberg compresses the scene into a steep, plunging composition, with Moses and his companion positioned high above a restless mass of figures below. Rapid crosshatching and agitated line convey urgency and moral rupture, while the tilted ground plane heightens the sense of imbalance and impending action. The drawing emphasizes gesture and movement over detail, allowing the emotional force of the narrative to dominate the image.

Arnold Friberg was an American painter renowned for his dramatic religious and historical imagery, particularly works commissioned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Trained at the Art Students League of New York, he combined academic draftsmanship with a cinematic sense of narrative and scale. Friberg’s preparatory drawings reveal his ability to distill complex scriptural moments into clear, forceful compositions, laying the emotional and structural groundwork for his monumental finished paintings.