Artworks for readings from Jacob, Enos, Jarom, Omni, Words of Mormon, and Mosiah
Our artistic journey through the Book of Mormon continues! Each month on our website, you can find artworks to accompany each of the coming month's Come, Follow Me readings. You can also subscribe to get email reminders when new artworks are ready or follow along weekly on Instagram or Facebook. We hope that art-lovers everywhere will be inspired by these artworks as they complement their gospel study, family discussions, and church classes with fine art from around the world. Here are our selected artworks for April:
April 1-7
The Savior’s infinite Atonement is not only available to us when we sin, but also when we are hurt by the sins of others. Jacob recognized this as he “labored diligently among [his] people, that [he] might persuade them to come unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his rest…” (Jacob 1:7) In both circumstances, the Great Mediator offers healing.
Reflect on the ways in which Ron Richmond’s symbolic Exchange No. 8 serves as a reminder to various aspects of the Atonement. Consider line, color, and shape.
April 8-14
William Henry Clapp painted the above image, Pointilliste Fruit Farm. Pointillism is a technique that employs small dots of paint close to each other, allowing the eye to visually blend nearby dots together. Up close, or viewing only a small section at a time, the image may appear blurry, or completely void of subject matter. However, taken as a whole, individual objects can be identified. Similarly, we may not understand the way the Lord, the Gardener, works in our lives without seeing the full picture. Jacob 5, an allegory about the gathering of Israel, is also a reminder that the Lord sees the whole picture; thus, he knows when we need to be metaphorically pruned, digged about, plucked, or grafted.
April 15-21
Depicted above is Saint Jerome, a fifth-century priest whose earlier life was filled with worldly pleasures. After being reprimanded by God in a vision, he forsook his sins and dedicated his life to God, including adopting an ascetic life and translating the Bible into Latin. Perhaps at this moment depicted he could say, like Enos, “I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer…and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you…” Neither Enos nor Jerome lived a sinless life, but each relied on the ability to repent and receive forgiveness.
Consider the ways this painting invites you to renounce sin and model your life after those like Enos or Saint Jerome.
April 22-28
Though crowds were too large to be numbered, Minerva Teichert only depicts four people in King Benjamin’s Farewell Address. Interestingly, just one soldier protects the tower, but two scribes record the events. King Benjamin’s words were powerful and instructive to those that heard his voice, but because the crowds were so large, many in attendance could not even hear him. It was only through the efforts of scribes that these words were made available to the remainder of the crowd; similarly, it is because of scribes that we have these words today. Perhaps by enveloping the scribes with the same divine cloud that envelops King Benjamin, Teichert suggests something about their role. Just as King Benjamin expresses gratitude for records preserved on the Plates of Brass and Plates of Nephi (Mosiah 1:3-7), so too might we be grateful for the work of scribes preserving a record of King Benjamin’s teachings.
To receive a free poster of this image, stop by the Museum of Art Front Desk this week.
