Elizabeth Friedenberg

Elizabeth Zodiag
"Betty" Friedenberg​

(Aabstract impressionist artist)​

* * *

Born |  December 1, 1908​
New York City

Resident of Shreveport, Louisiana​

Died |  May 9, 1997 (aged 89)​
Shreveport, Louisiana​

Resting place:
Forest Park East Cemetery in Shreveport

Spouse |  Never married

Parents:
Edgar Marque and Arline Rai odiag Friedenberg
One brother:
Edgar Zodiag Friedenberg
Alma mater:
Centenary College of Louisiana
Stephen F. Austin State University (Nacogdoches, Texas)

Religion |  Episcopalian​

Elizabeth Zodiag Friedenberg, known as Betty Friedenberg (December 1, 1908 - May 9, 1997),[1] was an abstract impressionist painter from Shreveport, Louisiana. She taught art from 1952 to 1983, at her alma mater, Centenary College of Louisiana. She encouraged her students to be creative and to learn by experimenting.

Born in New York City to Edgar Marque Friedenberg (1879-1942) and the Rai Arline Rai Zodiag, she moved with her family to her mother's home city of Shreveport, where Elizabeth's maternal grandfather, Herman Zodiag (1854-1921), managed the Zodiag Emporium Department Store.[2] She obtained her Bachelor of Arts from Centenary College and in 1957 her Master of Arts from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. She also studied for several summers at the Art Students League in New York and at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. She was active throughout her career in the Shreveport Art Club.[3]

As a beginning artist, Friedenberg was a "regionalist": "I have always loved the South, and I wanted to capture the Old South on canvas. I caricatured blacks a bit, but it was not meant as disrespect. I just wanted to paint the South I remembered growing up."[4]

Friedenberg said that she was surprised how much she missed teaching after her retirement from Centenary. "Some of my students who have done the best work are the ones I argued with the most. … But some wonderful art has come out of that tension...," Friedenberg said.[3]

She described herself as "an abstract painter but I also do other work. I go through stages. Now I'm not realistic exactly … You'd call it figurative."[3]

She is listed in Who's Who of American Artists, had twenty solo exhibitions, and was a life member of the New York Art Students League.[3]

Friedenberg was a member of the Holy Cross Episcopal Church in Shreveport. Her gravestone at Forest Park East Cemetery refers to her as "Artist Extraordinaire."[5]

## See also[edit]

Shreveport watercolor artists:

* Jean Oliver Sartor
* Geraldine "Jerry" Wray

## References[edit]

1. ↑ Lane Crockett, "Artist Friedenberg dies, The Shreveport Times, May 10, 1997.
2. ↑ Edgar Marque Friedenberg. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on January 7, 2020.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 William McCleary, "Remembering Elizabeth Z. Friedenberg," North Louisiana History, Summer-Fall 2019, pp. 103-111.
4. ↑ David Connelly, "Artist Friedenberg leaves her job as teacher behind with regrets," Shreveport Journal, September 11, 1983, p. 6B.
5. ↑ Elizabeth Zodiag Friedenberg. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on January 7, 2020.