Artworks to accompany readings from 1 Nephi 1-15
2024 brings with it a new Come, Follow Me curriculum focusing on the Book of Mormon. We're joining millions of Latter-day Saints around the world to study this revered text. Each month, 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 January:
January 1-7
We are delighted to announce that we will be continuing our ‘Come, Follow Me’ series for a fourth consecutive year. In 2024, we will focus on the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Each Sunday, we will share an artwork from our collection or a traveling exhibition that touches on stories, subjects, or themes from that week’s chapter of ‘Come, Follow Me.’ We hope that these artworks will be an asset to you in your personal and group study of the Book of Mormon, and we invite you to use them as visuals for lessons in Family Home Evening, Sunday School, Primary and more. You can access these artworks on social media each week or, if you’d like to see them a little earlier, you can find them on our website or subscribe to our ‘Come, Follow Me’ newsletter.
What do you hope to gain by studying the Book of Mormon this year? How can the MOA best help you with its ‘Come, Follow Me’ series?
January 8-14
Temperatures in the Arabian Peninsula, where Lehi’s family was commanded to flee, have reached up to 129° F (54° C). The decision to leave one’s home to traverse this nearly lifeless wilderness cannot have been a simple one, yet that is precisely what the family did, guided by a promise from the Lord: “Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper” (1 Nephi 2:20).
As you look at this photo by Teri W. Morgan, how far do you think you could walk in such an environment? What supplies would you bring with you, and what would you leave behind? What would you do for food, water, and shelter? It is doubtful that Lehi’s family prospered materially or financially in this hostile environment. In what other ways might they have prospered during their journey?
January 15-21
At the center of Lehi’s elaborate dream recorded in 1 Nephi 8 is a fruit tree, later revealed to be the tree of life, “the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things” (1 Nephi 11: 22). Fruit trees are prominent symbolic figures in the scriptures, variously representing knowledge (Genesis 3), good works (Luke 13), the house of Israel (Jacob 5), the word of God (Alma 32), and more.
Take a moment to examine this painting by Florence Ware, in which a woman gathers fruit from a tree. Notice the shapes and the colors. What emotions do you feel as you look? What story do you think is being told? In what way does a fruit tree symbolize God’s love?
January 22-28
When the Book of Mormon prophet Nephi asks to know the interpretation of the tree he and his father had seen in vision, he is shown “A virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins…the mother of the Son of God” (1 Nephi 11:15, 18).
Elder Bruce R. McConkie has asked about the Virgin Mary, “Can we speak too highly of her whom the Lord has blessed above all women?" She is one of the most prominent figures in Christianity, and artistic and literary portrayals of her abound with symbolism. In this depiction by 17th-century artist Juan Carreño de Miranda (featured in the exhibition Spain and the Hispanic World), she is clothed in her traditional colors of blue and white, echoing imagery from Revelation 12 with her crown of 12 stars as she stands astride the visage of the moon. The angelic putti at her feet carry irises, lilies, and roses, all symbols for her.
Why do you think these symbols were chosen by artists to represent Mary? What do you think this artist intended us to learn or feel about her from this portrayal?
