Artist Benjamin Hopwood returns for his second DGU Freedom Roc design and this time he offers his rendition of the famous “The Spirit of ‘76” painting.
After his successful Freedom Roc last year that depicted an eagle dressed up in Uncle Sam garb, DGU turned to Hopwood again. This year, instead of more eagles, Hopwood said he was up for something different, but still patriotic.
Hopwood decided to put his spin on the iconic “The Spirit of ‘76” painting by Archibald Willard, which was completed in time for the nation’s Centennial celebration in 1876.
Hopwood’s version has got a few key differences. It focuses on the paintings three main characters and he replaced one of the drummers with a flag bearer, whose flag – if you look closely – has a Roc bird resting atop the pole.
And, instead of using the clean, smooth lines of computer-aided illustration, he opted for the hand drawn style, which best represents his interpretation of the famous painting, he said.