Christ Painting: August 2010

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

LDS Artwork - Popular Mormon Paintings and Joseph Smith Art

Recently, the Community of Christ or the RLDS church has come out with a picture that is supposed to be that of Joseph Smith Jr., the Prophet of the Mormon church. If this is a picture of the late prophet what a find it is! Although at this time we really don't know what Joseph Smith looked like exactly, we have some good estimations as there have been many paintings done of the prophet.

The most famous painting of the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Mormon church is the painting entitled "The Prophet Joseph Smith" that was painted by by Alvin Gittins. This painting is in the front of most of the copies of the Book of Mormon published in the last 30 years. When I visited a chapel of the Community of Christ they even had this particular painting of Joseph Smith displayed.

His Most Famous Painting (The Raising of the Cross) - Paul Rubens

Peter Paul Rubens (born June 28, 1577) was one of the most charismatic and influential Flemish painters of the 'Renaissance' period. His bold interpretation of the mythological stories and their dramatic rendition on the canvas made him a pioneer in the 'European' style of painting. Peter had adopted the 'Baroque' style of painting, exuberating struggle and drama. He personified allegorical characters and rendered them on canvas, depicting their trauma, emotional struggle, and their sheer bravery, as is best evident in his "The Raising of the Cross" or "The Elevation of the Cross," which depicted the last stages of Jesus Christ during his crucifixion. Paul Rubens created this painting after his return to Flanders from Italy. Created during 1610-11, "The Elevation of the Cross" is a triptych panel painting. A triptych is divided into three sections, with each one symbolizing a story.

Resurrection Paintings of Jesus Christ

The Renaissance era of oil paintings brought in new styles for religious paintings whilst still continuing the common subjects as seen before in Christian art. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ was a very common choice at the time and this has continued ever since. Several of the key Renaissance artists of the time used the Resurrection as subject in many of their works, and this article explains a little more about them.

The Resurrection is an obvious choice for these artists, with it's symbolic strength which inspires many, even today. The supreme miracle, when Jesus Christ overcomes death is ideal fodder for mystical, powerful art. In each case, the Renaissance artists aimed to portray Jesus as an extraordinary being, separated from mere mortals. How this was achieved differed from artist to artist.