Artworks for Isaiah and Jeremiah
Our artistic journey through the Old Testament continues! Here you'll find our selected artworks and commentary to accompany this month's Come, Follow Me readings. Remember, 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.
September 28 - October 4
The first word of Isaiah chapter 40 is “Comfort”; as Isaiah shares this message from God to the people of Jerusalem, he emulates Jesus Christ’s promise of divine love and reassurance. Painted by Daniel Ridgway Knight, this pastoral scene, "Premier Chagrin" (“First Grief”), depicts two young women comforting and ministering to each other in this moment of quiet mourning. Although the reason for their grief is unknown, their experience remains universal: all “stand in need of comfort” (Mosiah 18:9).
Through Jesus Christ, all of God’s children can be healed, restored, forgiven, and comforted. And as we represent Jesus Christ by loving and comforting others in times of hardship, we help others feel His love.
October 5-11
Peter Meyer’s 'He Was Cut Off from the Land of the Living' visually echoes the isolation, suffering, and exclusion recorded in Isaiah 53. The title, drawn directly from the words of Isaiah, frames the artwork as a contemplative entry point into Christ’s moments of solitude as He was making an ultimate sacrifice.
Meyer’s artwork invites viewers to pause, reflect, and engage with the emotional and spiritual weight of Isaiah 53; weight emphasized by the heaviness in Christ’s body, emphasized as viewers’ follow a beam of light down to His arms outstretched on the cross and the crown of thorns atop His head. The composition of this image reminds viewers of what Christ did for every one of God’s children. He allowed Himself to be alienated from society and crucified so that all humanity can be redeemed and live again.
Lithographs like this one are made from a printmaking process—one that involves drawing a design directly onto a stone, etching over the design, and applying chemicals to bond the drawing to the stone itself. After applying ink with a roller, the resulting image is transferred onto paper. Much like the process of lithography requires a chemical reaction to be completed, Jesus Christ took our sins upon Himself to “deliver us from evil” (Luke 2:4).
October 12-18
Elise Wehle’s intricate arch of pressed plants—which includes the victorious laurel leaf—invites viewers to consider both the trials and triumphs of mortality. An outline of a female figure with their hands crossed occupies the center of this composition and supports a botanical portal. Perhaps this artwork invites viewers to pass under the leaves of the laurel plant into a time of triumph over death and sin through Jesus Christ, or to reflect on moments when He has brought joyful salvation during a time of tribulation.
Throughout chapters 64-66 of Isaiah, the prophet speaks of a time, yet to be fulfilled, when a Savior will reign on earth in victory. As Isaiah describes this time, he frequently uses words like “rejoice” and “rejoicing”, outlining characteristics of Christ as Ruler and Redeemer.
What about the Savior’s return will cause you to rejoice?
October 19-25
This artwork by John Hafen is part of a series of watercolors that reference the prayerful hymn “O My Father”. The title comes directly from verse two, penned by Eliza R. Snow, and reads, “Yet ofttimes a secret something whispered, ‘You’re a stranger here,’ and I felt that I had wandered from a more exalted sphere.” Just like the thoughtful words of this contemplative hymn, John Hafen’s artwork draws viewers into a scene of contemplation on their own relationship with a Heavenly Father.
God knows His children intimately. Each can come to see themselves through God’s eyes, just as Jeremiah discovers his own strength through the Savior as documented in scripture. The Lord says to Jeremiah, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). Through this verse, each of God’s children can know that He is aware of every strength and weaknesses, and can therefore prepare them for hardships ahead.
How does knowing about your premortality and connection to God as your Father affect your choices in this life and hopes for the next?
