Skip to main content
Artwork of the Week

Artwork of the Week, April 26, 2020

Edwin Evans, “Boulders by Water Pool,” c.1893

Edwin Evans (1860-1946), Boulders by Water Pool, c.1893, oil on canvas, 20 7/8 x 28 ¼ inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, 1941.

An intimate slice of nature, seemingly untouched by human hands, this scene conveys a sense of tranquility and serenity. Utah-born artist Edwin Evans selects a restful scene and works it into a balanced composition, defined by harmonious color tones. Alongside fellow-painters John Hafen, Lorus Pratt, and John B. Fairbanks, Evans spent some time studying painting at the Académie Julian in Paris at the end of the nineteenth century. He was one of the original art missionaries, sent to Europe by leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to improve their individual artistic skill sets and collectively contribute to the beautification of Zion.