Special Edition: The LDS Art Missionaries in Paris

In 1890, President George Q. Cannon sent 5 young artists from Salt Lake City to Paris to study painting in preparation of the completion of the Salt Lake Temple. After convincing the Church to sponsor John Hafen, Lorus Pratt, JB Fairbanks, Edwin Evans, and Herman Haag left for the Academie Julian to study painting under the great French Impressionists of the Belle Epoque. In this special episode, we discuss their background training, and impact on Utah Art in the 20th Century. 

Grain Fields (1890) by Edwin Evans. Oil on Canvas. Brigham Young University.

Haystacks (1891) by Lorus Pratt. LDS Church Collection. 

Haystacks (1937) by JB Fairbanks. Private Collection. 

The Threshing Machine (1893) by Albert Rigolot (French, 1862-1932). Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen

The Death of Laban (1894) by Herman Haag. LDS Church. 

The Tree of Life (1891) by John Hafen. Oil on Canvas. Private Collection. 

The Garden Room. Salt Lake City Temple, c. 1970.

Photograph of the Garden Room in the Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1909). Source: The House of the Lord by James E. Talmage (1912).

Sculptor Michael Aaron Hall on Michelangelo's Medici Chapel Tomb

This week we stray a little bit from work by LDS artists in pursuit of becoming a "Mormon Michelangelo" to look at the Michelangelo at his peak. The tomb of Lorenzo de Medici, his patron, friend and father figure is a part of the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy where Hall studied marble sculpting and had a transformative experience in front of this renaissance masterwork. As the recent recipient of the Alex J. Etta Grant from the National Sculpture Society, Hall's work follows the traditional techniques started in Italy centuries ago. 

The Tomb of Lorenzo de Medici with Dusk & Dawn (1524-1531) by Michelangelo Buonarotti (Italian, 1475-1564). Marble. 630 x 420 cm. Sagrestia Nuova, San Lorenzo, Medici Chapel, Florence. 

Outside the Circle (Front) by Michael Aaron Hall. Bronze. 

Outside the Circle (Back) by Michael Aaron Hall. Bronze. 

SMOFA's Emily Larsen Boothe and Minerva Teichert

Emily Larsen Boothe is the Assistant Curator at the Springville Museum of Art and is responsible for organizing exhibitions and shows throughout the year. Springville's collection of Utah and LDS Art may be the finest anywhere in the world, including Jesus Christ is the God of that Land by one of the most treasured and reproduced LDS artists of all time, Minerva Teichert. 

Jesus Christ is the God of That Land (c. 1940) by Minerva Teichert. Oil on Board. 47 ¾ x 23 ¾ in. Springville Museum of Art

BYU's Ashlee Whitaker on Trevor Southey

We sit down with Ashlee Whitaker, the Roy and Carol Christensen Curator of Religious Art at BYU to talk about her favorite pieces of religious work in the collection at the BYU Museum of Art. A pair of triptychs by renowned LDS painter Trevor Southey reflect the life of Christ in a style completely unique to Southey and with a depth unparalleled in LDS art. 

Jesus and Mary: The Moment After by Trevor Southey. Currently on view at the BYU MOA "Magnifying the Lord" Exhibition.

Intercession at Gethsemene by Trevor Southey. Courtesy of the BYU Museum of Art

Part 2: The Salt Lake Assembly Hall & Mormon Aesthetics

Part 2 of our discussion with Dr. Probert focuses on the specifics the Assembly Hall, its history and its role as one of the spiritual homes of the early Saints. Many of these buildings were a rare opportunity for leaders of the Church to express our beliefs through art and architecture. 

The Interior of the Salt Lake Assembly Hall

Detail of the Salt Lake Assembly Hall Ceiling

Artist Jeff Hein on Monumental Religious Painting

The artist Jeff Hein joins us to discuss how we use monumental religious painting in LDS culture. Much like Carl Bloch's series of paintings for the Fredriksborg Castle in Denmark, Hein is beginning a twenty year venture to create large scale depictions of the life of Christ. We discuss that process the challenges both technically and philosophically of such a task. 

Christ Healing the Sick at Bethesda, by Carl Heinrich Bloch (Danish, 1834-1890). Oil on Canvas. 111 x 126 in. BYU Museum of Art. 

Triumphal Entry (2016) by Jeff Hein. Oil on Linen. 54 x 72 in. LDS Church Collection. 

Part 1: Dr. Josh Probert and The Dual Nature of Mormon Aesthetics

In this first half of a two part discussion with Dr. Probert, we discuss the dichotomy of Catholic-inspired and Protestant-inspired architecture and art. The effect that these influences have on our culture, generally have been pervasive. Our discussion focuses on this duality, manifest in a photo of Temple Square in Salt Lake City in the 1890s. 

Temple Square circa 1890. Photograph courtesy of Utah State Historical Society.

Bryan Mark Taylor and the Remarkable Landscapes of William Bliss Baker

Artist Bryan Mark Taylor discusses one of his favorite landscape works, fortunately housed at BYU's Museum of Art. His work has built on the many varied techniques and teachings honed through years of training and exhibited right now in a new show at the Church History Museum in Salt Lake City. Along with two landscape artists Josh Clare and John Burton, the beautiful scenes experienced by the Pioneers in their trek west have been remarkably captured by oil on canvas for us to enjoy today.

William Bliss Baker (American, 1859-1886) Fallen Monarchs (1886) Oil on canvas. 30 x 39 3/4 in. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, Provo.

An introduction to the Saint's at the Devil's Gate Exhibit at the Church History Museum

Artist Ryan Brown on Carl Bloch and How to Look at Fine Art

Artist and teacher Ryan Brown discusses a recent commission to hearken to one of the most iconic images in modern LDS culture. He also discusses the role of educating patrons, artists and the public on the importance of arts literacy. 

Christ Healing the Sick at Bethesda, by Carl Heinrich Bloch (Danish, 1834-1890). Oil on Canvas. 111 x 126 in. BYU Museum of Art. 

Learn more about works by Ryan Brown here.

The Lord's Prayer by Ryan Brown. Oil on Panel. 32 x 24 in. 

And learn more about the Masters Academy of Art, lectures and classes here.