Artworks for Easter and 2 Nephi
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 February:
February 26 - March 3
Just like modern-day prophets, Nephi makes reference to the teachings of past prophets to give new insight into their teachings. In 2 Nephi 11-19, Nephi quotes Isaiah’s heavily symbolic language from the Old Testament to remind his people – and us, the modern-day audience – of the importance of believing in Christ. Christ is likened to a tabernacle, a light, a mountain, and as a fruitful branch of the Lord in these verses. What other symbols and characteristics of the Savior from 2 Nephi 11-19 are reflected in Rembrandt’s portrait of Christ?
March 4-10
To counterbalance the heavy themes of sorrow, destruction and contention throughout these verses, Nephi and Isaiah promise hope and peace as a result of Christ’s Atonement and our missionary endeavors. These efforts will ultimately lead to the important work we have in gathering the Kingdom of Israel in these latter-days, through physical and spiritual means.
Gathering, in Albrecht Dürer’s time, consisted of making woodblock prints and engravings of the image of Christ more accessible to the rest of the world during the Renaissance period. Instead of having to make long journeys to churches where pilgrims would typically see an image of Christ, Dürer’s prints delivered the Savior into your own personal space, where you could have and hold him for yourself.
How does this print of Dürer’s invite you to stay with the Savior, and even participate in the continual gathering of Israel?
March 11-17
God’s “marvelous work and a wonder” is accomplished in these latter days with the spiritual knowledge that the Book of Mormon brings to our lives.
Jorge Cocco, a pioneer convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from Argentina, painted this piece referencing the culminating moment of the Book of Mormon: the Savior’s ministry to the Americas. Using his own technique, called sacrocubism, Cocco intentionally draws the viewer’s eyes away from superfluous details, like fabrics or even backgrounds, in order to focus on what really matters.
What elements in this painting remind you of Christ’s mission on the earth?
March 18-24
In these last teachings of the book of Nephi, this eponymous prophet has chosen to conclude with a reminder of the importance of following Christ’s example in all things, including through baptism.
Although this baptismal font was created for a Catholic audience in the 15th century, it highlights the importance of unifying various peoples to the family of God. Baptism is a Christian rite, yet this font was made by Muslim potters because of their expertise in the craft at this time. Even though these cultures, languages and religions were very different, they could come to create and celebrate covenant-makers. How do you still show your commitment to following the path and commandments of Jesus Christ?
March 25-31
The resurrection of Christ is the culmination of humanity. Easter invites us to reflect and ponder the power of this knowledge in our day-to-day lives. It is an opportunity for us to fully understand how we have been changed through the Atonement of our Savior.
Calvarios, like the one depicted above, are Catholic holy sites, primarily used for processions and worship during Holy Week. Rusiñol, the artist behind this painting, describes feeling “that quietness, that silence, that deaf solitude and the calm that follows the great tempests of life” at these particular sites.
What do you see in this painting that reflects the calm and peace the Savior brings?
