Artwork of the Week

This Russian icon celebrates the authority of Peter and Paul, venerated as the two pivotal figures in leading Christ’s early Church. The saints carry the church in their hands and hold items symbolic of their roles and authority: Peter clasps the keys of church leadership, while Paul holds a book signifying his numerous epistles in the New Testament. The two martyred saints were frequently shown together in Orthodox imagery because of their shared influence on early Christianity. Worshippers would pray before icons like this, invoking the grace and authority of the righteous Paul and Peter in conveying their petitions to heaven.

While the New Testament mentions little about Mary, Joseph, and the young Jesus’ journey to Egypt, legends arose throughout the centuries enriching the narrative. The Rest on the Flight into Egypt became a popular visual motif envisioning the weary family receiving respite and sustenance during their long journey. Kaulbach’s depiction merges realist precision with a poetic sense of devotion. The family travels under the cover of night in the harsh desert. Mary holds the sleeping Christ child close to her breast, His radiant light illuminating her face and veil. Two children offer much-needed water to the wearied mother with evident awe and adoration. Joseph, their devoted mortal guardian, tenderly watches the interaction. The meticulous details convey a reality to the scene, reflective of both 19th-Century interest in Egyptian culture and peoples, as well as a nuanced psychological portrait of a weary mother caring for her infant son in a strange, desolate land.

Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937), At the Gates (Flight into Egypt), c.1926-1927, oil on panel, 26 11/16 x 19 1/16 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by Stanford C. Stoddard, 2019. The exhibition Of Souls and Sacraments: Symbol and Context in Christian Art is currently on display.

Luca Giordano (1634-1705), El Prendimiento de Cristo (Christ’s Arrest), no date, oil on canvas, 22 x 31 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by Labor and Honor, the Andrea and James Clarke Family Foundation, 2022. Currently on display in the exhibition Of Souls and Sacraments: Symbol and Context in Christian Art.

As Rachel’s firstborn son, Joseph was beloved by Jacob, was beloved by Jacob, especially after Rachel’s early death. Jacob famously gifted Joseph a special tunic, which may have implied that Joseph would receive his father’s birthright blessing...

James Jacques Joseph Tissot (1836-1902), Charles Hoffbauer (1875-1957), ‘

James Jacques Joseph Tissot (1836-1902), Issac Bears the Woods for His sacrifice, c. 1896-1901, gouache on board, 8 3/4 x 5 4/9 in, The Jewish Museum, New York. Image provided by the Jewish Museum, New York. Gift of the heirs of Jacob Schiff. This work has been temporarily loaned to the. Museum as part of the exhibition

Francesco Guardi (Italian, 1712-1793), View of the Grand Canal with the Dogana, c. 1780, oil on canvas, 22 1/2 x 32 1/4 inches. Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, South Carolina; Gift of the Samuel H. Dress Foundation, This work has been temporarily loaned to the Museum as part of the exhibition

James Jacques Jospeh Tissot (1836-1902), 'Building the Tower of Babel,' c. 1896-1901, gouache on board, 8 1/8 x 11 3/4 in, The Jewish Museum, New York. Image provided by the Jewish Museum, New York. Gift of the heirs of Jacob Schiff. This work has been temporarily loaned to the Museum as part of the exhibition

Alfred Everett Orr (1886-1927),

Robert Reid (1862-1929),

Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900),

Trevor Southey (1940-2015), Motherhood 1, no date, etching, 14 ½ x 11 3/8 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, 1981. Image courtesy of the Southey Family.

Joseph V. Desantis (1909-1989),

Virginia F. Moody (1912-1994), Evening Glow, oil on board, 17 1/2 x 21 1/2 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, gift of Milo C. & Virginia F. Moody, 2002.

W. K. Driggs (1885-1965), Landscape, 1906, watercolor, 23 7/8 x 17 15/16 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, 1928.

Eanger Irving Couse (1866-1936), At the Spring (Sheep in Field), no date, watercolor, 10 1/2 x 16 1/16. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, gift of Joseph Riggio, 1976.

John Fairbanks (1855-1940), SpringShower, 1898, oil on panel, 11 13/16 x 18 11/16 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, 1940