John Hafen, a prominent LDS artist at the turn of the century, wrote, "The influence of art is so powerful in shaping our lives for a higher appreciation of the creations of our God that we cannot afford to neglect an acquaintance with it."
With the publication of "Images of Faith: Art of the Latter-day Saints," a new monograph by Deseret Book, every reader can now become acquainted with the visual arts that helped delineate a people, their ideology and their lifestyles, their doctrine and their faith.Each page of "Images," replete with historical text and easy-to-read biographical information, is a visual feast; captions allow for quick, easy browsing, and the color reproductions are of the highest quality.
The book's design and finished appearance is as good as anything one might find in bookstores anywhere in the world.
In "Images" the authors, Richard G. Oman and Robert O. Davis, senior curators at the Museum of Church History and Art, deal with five issues: What is Latter-day Saint art? How did it come to be? What are the finest examples of the tradition? Who made these works of art? And what does the art mean?
Oman and Davis methodically answer each of these questions by dividing the book into chapters that represent important art cycles in church history: the foundation of Latter-day Saint art, 1835-90; the impact of French training on Latter-day Saint art, 1890-1925; developing a regional Latter-day Saint art, 1925-65; contemporary Latter-day Saint art, 1965-95; and 20th-century international folk art.
Each chapter covers important artists, their methods and their influence on future artists. Not only is painting covered, but photography, sculpture, furniture making and quilting.
Some of the early artists discussed are John Hafen, Alfred Lambourne, C.C.A. Christensen, George M. Ottinger, Cyrus E. Dallin, Lee Green Richards, Mahonri M. Young, James T. Harwood and Minerva K. Teichert.
Later artists such as Ortho and Avard Fairbanks, Maynard Dixon, LeConte Stewart, George S. Dibble, Harry Anderson, Arnold Friberg, George Midgley and many others are also covered.
While not all of these artists were Latter-day Saints, they were influenced by the land, attitudes and religion of the area.
Contemporary artists such as Frank Magleby, Gary E. Smith, James C. Christensen, Peter Fillerup, Ken Baxter, Al Rounds, Craig J. Law, Alex B. Darais, Franz Johansen, Nancy Glazier-Koehler, Del Parson, Brian Kershisnik, Lee Udall Bennion, Valoy Eaton, Wulf Barsch, Dennis Smith and Laura Lee Stay and many others are discussed as well.
Religious folk art from dozens of countries around the world make up the last chapter in "Images." While the quality of some of the work lacks sophistication of technique, it must be remembered that many artists from these countries have limited funds. Also, many are in the "art cycle" our pioneers occupied 130 years ago.
A visual and historical treasure, "Images of Faith: Art of the Latter-day Saints" is well worth the book's price - $50 - and will make a beautiful contribution to anyone's religious and/or art books collection.