No need to build a time machine to go back in history 100 years. Just wait until Thursday, Sept. 30; then step inside the East Gallery of the LDS Museum of Church History and Art. There you'll find a new exhibition "Pioneer Artists in Zion" in space suggesting a late 19th-century parlor or art gallery.
Containing 65 works by nine artists, the exhibition has been carefully selected from the LDS Museum's permanent collection as well as other museums, institutions and private collectors.Subject matter is varied as pioneer artists focused on architectural renderings, portraits, landscapes, genre, pioneer and scriptural events, etc.
Of the nine artists spotlighted in this exhibit, the most well-known are Danquart Anthon (Dan) Weggeland, Carl Christian Anton (C.C.A.) Christensen and George Martin Ottinger.
Others include Jacob Johannes Martinus (John) Bohn, Martin Lenzi, William Warner Major, Frederick Piercy, John Tullidge and William W. Ward Jr.
Some of the highlights in the show:
- Weggeland's two "Garden of Eden" paintings created for the Garden Room in the Logan Temple in 1883. Also his "Campsite on the Mormon Trail," an 1872 narrative-decorative work showing pioneers visiting a gypsy camp.
- Christensen's "Noah's Ark" and "Nephi Tied at the Ship's Mast."
- Ottinger's 1894 painting "Mormon Immigrant Train," based on his 1861 experience crossing the plains; "Self Portrait as Salt Lake City Fire Chief"; and 65-by-33-inch painting of "Aztec Messengers Giving Montezuma News of the Landing of Cortez."
- Major's rare 1852 paintings of Parowan and Fillmore.
- Ward's 1851 drawings for the Seventies Hall and the Territorial Statehouse in Fillmore.
- Tullidge's "Primeval Mountain Scene," an excellent example of his romantic mountain landscapes.
- A hand-lettered sign "The Mormon Creed: Mind Your Own Business." It was made for the Logan Temple to remind the saints to respect the privacy of others.
But the exhibit's emphasis is not on artwork alone. Much of it focuses on the lives of the artists to give insights into how they influenced the community and enriched the lives of those around them.
The exhibit is divided into three major sections - "In Service to the Church," "Depicting Latter-day Saint History," and "Artwork for the Community."
Each section contains a series of subsections pinpointing specific contributions by these artists.
They served the LDS Church in various ways: illustrating Book of Mormon stories, designing temple murals, painting portraits of church leaders, creating art for churches and producing scriptural panoramas.
They depicted LDS history by creating illustrations for publication, illustrating pioneer travel guides, commemorating the pioneer trek, recording the pioneer environment and drawing architectural renderings.
They served the community by picturing Native American history, documenting community and home life, making banners and theater backdrops, picturing Native American history, painting signs and graining furniture, making portraits for the people and creating art for the home.
When early saints left their homes to make their trek westward, they left most of their treasured possessions behind. Although facing hard times in the Salt Lake valley, many yearned to decorate their homes with fine art.
But all pioneers faced hard times, and the demand for fine art was insufficient to meet the financial needs of the artists. The exhibit addresses their struggles.
To supplement his income, Christensen had to leave his easel to paint signs, furniture, houses, coffins, headboards, flour bins and banners.
Ottinger found himself tinting photographs, painting scenery in the Salt Lake Theater, lecturing on his ancient American art and serving for 14 years as fire chief of Salt Lake City.
Although they preferred cash, the artists often bartered for goods.
Weggeland said, "Occasionally I could dispose of a painting or give a lesson in art for return for a pair or two of hand-knitted sox or a basket of onions or other vegetables from the garden."
George Mears, a local merchant, wrote this about Weggeland. "Too much cannot be said of him as an artist; too little cannot be said of him as a financier."
In 1872, Ottinger wrote, "In the last eight years, I have painted 223 pictures which have been sold for $3,415, or a little over $15 each. Now deducting $7 each for supplies, canvas, paint and framing, it leaves me $1,752, or a little over half. My work is worth only $219 a year. When I look at my family and our wants I grieve . . . "
However, his Montezuma painting created "quite a sensation among the people of Salt Lake City." It sold a year after it was painted for $250.
The key people responsible for putting life, direction and meaning into this impressive exhibition are senior art curator Robert Davis, designer Kirk Henricksen and educator Ray Halls.
Davis said that recent exhibits at the LDS museum have been well-accepted by the public, increasing attendance dramatically. "We hope this new presentation will provide another round of increased knowledge and understanding of our early history."
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"Pioneer Artists in Zion" continues at the LDS Museum of Church History and Art through Feb. 21, 1994. The museum is located west of Temple Square (45 N. West Temple). Hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday; and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends and holidays. Admission is free. For information about other exhibits currently on display, call 240-3310.