| The First Game | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Arnold Friberg |
| Year | 1968 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Subject | First American football game |
| Dimensions | 95 cm × 150 cm (37.5 in × 60 in) |
| Designation | Chevrolet division (General Motors) |
| Owner | Private collection (unknown)[1] |
The First Game is a painting byArnold Friberg, and was commissioned in 1968 by theChevrolet division[2] ofGeneral Motors[3] as one of four paintings to commemorate the then-upcoming centennial celebration ofcollege football in the United States.[4]
It depicts the famousfirst game of American intercollegiate football, played byRutgers College (now Rutgers University) and the visiting College of New Jersey (by then more commonly known asPrinceton College) on November 6, 1869, at College Field inNew Brunswick, New Jersey. The game was played in front of 100 spectators, depicted in the picture in the background.
Friberg had some previous experience in advertising art, having taught the discipline atUtah University in the 1950s. He had also made a series of paintings to promoteCecil B. DeMille's filmThe Ten Commandments.[2]
InThe First Game, Friberg extolled the fight and physical strength of the game. His painting shows how bruised players collide each other. Some of them even have blood stains in their uniforms. Rutgers players wear a headscarf that resembles apiracy-style. The ball is small and round, like anassociation football. The field is covered by dry leaves, as usual in November, when the game was played. Spectators are seen at background, some are sitting on a fence, and others run along the players.
Spectators depicted include a Rutgers professor who is reported to have waved his umbrella at the participants while yelling, "You will come to no Christian end!"[5] Friberg included the man with the umbrella in the painting as a tribute.[1]
The other three paintings that completed the series wereThe Coach (dedicated toKnute Rockne),Hovell to Hudson (about a famous game won by the1934 Alabama team), andO.J. Runs for Daylight, depicting a moment in the 1967 game betweenUCLA andUSC.[2]
The four paintings were exhibited during a tour that visited the main seats ofNCAA, the organization that regulates college sports in the United States.[2]
This article about a painting from the 1960s is astub. You can help Wikipedia byadding missing information. |
