Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael by Arnold Friberg

Arnold Friberg (American, 1913–2010)
Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael
Mixed media on paper
19½ × 14½ in.

This powerful study depicts the patriarch Abraham flanked by his sons Isaac and Ishmael, their monumental, robed figures emerging from a field of darkness punctuated by star-like marks. Rendered with forceful line and dramatic contrasts of light and shadow, the composition evokes divine promise and generational destiny. The upward orientation of the figures and the surrounding constellation-like field suggest the biblical covenant in which Abraham’s descendants are likened to the stars of heaven.

Arnold Friberg was one of the most influential religious illustrators of the 20th century, best known for his epic visual interpretations of biblical and Book of Mormon narratives. Trained in both fine art and commercial illustration, Friberg developed a highly theatrical style characterized by heroic scale, muscular form, and heightened drama. His works, widely reproduced and deeply influential within Latter-day Saint culture, combine academic draftsmanship with cinematic intensity. Studies such as Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael reveal Friberg’s working process, where drawing and mixed media served as a means of refining gesture, symbolism, and spiritual emphasis before execution in finished compositions.