Thanks
for visiting our online fine art gallery and considering
this beautiful print/canvas. You're sure to enjoy this
inspirational art image on your wall for many years to
come. We're Russ
& Janelle Hansen and you can reach us at 360-330-0195.
We'd be glad to help you determine which rendition is best
for you or if you wish, just order through this secure
online website.
Arnold
Friberg painted Prayer at Valley Forge Pennsylvania in celebration
of our country's bicentennial celebration and it has become
one of the best selling images in America.
This
George Washington picture - "THE PRAYER AT
VALLEY FORGE" is available as an incredibe
fine art print/canvas showing general George Washington
kneeling in prayer at Valley Forge, PA by artist Arnold
Friberg. It was originally painted by Arnold Friberg in
celebration of our country's 1976 bicentennial celebration.
Several
of the renditions available include the quote of George
Washington as he resigned his commission as general of the
Continental Army on December 23, 1783. "I consider
it an indispensable duty to close this last solemn act
of my official life by commending the interests of our
dearest country to the protection of Almighty God and those
who have the superintendence of them into His holy keeping.
George
Washington was not just the father of our country and
our first president, but a man of godly character. As
a general he lost more battles than any general in modern
history, but he won the ones that counted.
At
the end of the Revolutionary War, a lot of the soldiers
wanted to march into Philadelphia to get their back pay
from congress, but George Washington discouraged them from
doing so. George Washington was not known as a great
public speaker, but as he talked to his men during
this time, he remembered a slip of paper in his pocket
and he pulled out his glasses. Most of his men had never
seen him where spectacles, and the troops went silent
when he put them on and said, "I see that
you notice that I wear glasses. Well, it was to be. I've
not only grown old and gray, I've become almost blind
in the service of my country." And with that
simple, unrehearsed, spontaneous statement, tears came
the troop's eyes. They had been reminded of who
this man was and what he had done for our country.
The
respect for George Washington was so great that the first
proposal for his new title as the first leader of our country,
recommended by John Adams, was, "His Glorious Highness,
The President of the United States and Glorious Protector
of Our Liberties." But
William McClay from Pennsylvania in essence retorted, "What's
with Adams? Doesn't he understand what we fought this
thing for? It's to get rid of all of that stuff." But
this brief story illustrates the high regard congress had
for George Washington.
Dr.
James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, on a radio
broadcast said, "The
reason that I consider [George Washington] to be such
a hero is... almost no one in human experience gives
up power willingly. Power is intoxicating and once
you have it you don't want to let it go and [Washington]
could have been king. He could have been monarch for
the rest of his life and passed it on to his heirs, but
he served two terms as president and would not accept
a third term. You talk about greatness. That really speaks
to me."
The
world was watching during this moment of
when George Washington said he would give up his power
after two terms as President of the United States. King
George of England said, "If he really gives up his
power, as he said he would, he will be the greatest man
in the world." And George Washington did it
without a moments hesitation. Washington said in one
of his letters, "I'd rather be back on my farm in
Virginia than be emperor of the world."
