• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Which Church has the best artwork?

Flat Earth Kyle

Well-Known Member
None of them :p

You know that famous Last Supper painting? It's actually Catholic.
800px-Giampietrino-Last-Supper-ca-1520.jpg

.

The last supper painting... sigh... Every time I see that one am am always thinking to myself, they were not sitting on tables like that back then...
I do understand though that the last supper painting was huge and was put in a dining room, so putting it at a table from their time period was something done on purpose.
 

Gjallarhorn

N'yog-Sothep
The last supper painting... sigh... Every time I see that one am am always thinking to myself, they were not sitting on tables like that back then...

Same thing I think when people extol pictures of Jesus as an ivory-skinned straight-haired pretty boy.
 

Flat Earth Kyle

Well-Known Member
None of them :p

Here are some, though!
t_4426.jpg


.

I do admit that this one is pretty, though it is in a solemn kind of way.

It has a really different feeling in it compared to the solemness of this one.
What elements in the two paintings do you think creates the different atmospheres?

jesus-the-christ-del-parson.jpg
 

Katzpur

Not your average Mormon
You know your art history, don't you? :D
Not really, but here's one thing I do know, which many Mormons likely don't... Harry Anderson's paintings hang in LDS-owned buildings throughout the world, including LDS chapels, temples, the Conference Center and the Church headquarters buildings. Most Mormons probably just assume that these paintings are by a LDS artist, but they're not. The LDS Church commissioned Anderson to do a lot of its artwork (and so have the originals). It also has copies of others of his works. You'll see all of these in LDS buildings, and they're all by Harry Anderson...

second_coming_anderson_l__96485_zoom.jpg


90232424_49c914e056_z.jpg


ArtBook__038_038__ChristOrdainingTheApostles____.jpg


Jesus04.jpg


ArtBook__056_056__JesusPrayingInGethsemane____.jpg


MaryWithResurrectedJesus.bmp


ArtBook__061_061__GoYeTherefore____.jpg


There are so many it's not even funny, and I bet 90% of Mormons think they were painted by a fellow-Mormon.
 

Flat Earth Kyle

Well-Known Member
Seventh Day Adventist huh... Still commissioned by the church.
I have heard the painting of Christ in the clouds originally had wings but then the first presidency told him to change it because Jesus does not have wings, which tells me that the painting was directed by the church.
 

Katzpur

Not your average Mormon
Seventh Day Adventist huh... Still commissioned by the church.
Yes, and why do you think they commissioned him? Was it because they liked his name -- Harry Anderson? Or maybe they were familiar with his religious art and recognized it as inspired -- even if he wasn't LDS! (Oh, horror! :eek:)

Keep digging that grave you're working on, yaddoe. With any luck, you'll be disappearing into it any time now.
 

Wannabe Yogi

Well-Known Member
They are difficult to do, no question about it, Michalangelo on his back painting the Sistine Chapel and all, but they have a different feel to them. Which do I enjoy looking at more?

I am sorry I have to go with the Catholic and Orthodox art. The stuff your are showing I see as sentimental like a hallmark card. The Catholic and Orthodox art has a depth of meaning that you could take a life time to study.
 

SageTree

Spiritual Friend
Premium Member
I don't mean that in a mean way....

But, it seems fitting, that the 'glorious paintings of the LDS',
especially after how the opinion about their greatness was asserted so forcefully,
ended up being done by the Seventh Day Adventist.

Genuinely though, it ended up being a cool detail that arouse out of the conversation,
that I didn't know.

I like the paintings, don't get me wrong.
The irony, which struck so heartily was about presentation over than what was presented.

Information and fact, FTW.
Thank you Katz for that.
 

Flat Earth Kyle

Well-Known Member
Yes, and why do you think they commissioned him? Was it because they liked his name -- Harry Anderson? Or maybe they were familiar with his religious art and recognized it as inspired -- even if he wasn't LDS! (Oh, horror! :eek:)

Keep digging that grave you're working on, yaddoe. With any luck, you'll be disappearing into it any time now.

I never claimed that only Latter-day Saints received Revelation.
I believe they commissioned him because they saw him as a skilled artist and with some direction he created some really excellent work.
I don't think the painting of Christ in the clouds would of been anywhere near as powerful if Christ had wings.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Katzpur

Not your average Mormon
I believe they commissioned him because they saw him as a skilled artist and with some direction he created some really excellent work.
Yeah, apparently they saw him as having an even greater potential than the myriad of LDS artists they might have commissioned, artists who wouldn't have "needed direction."

I don't think the painting of Christ in the clouds would of been anywhere near as powerful if Christ had wings.
I find it interesting that, until I told you, you didn't even know he was a Seventh Day Adventist. But somehow you seemed to know at the same time that supposedly originally painted Christ with wings. I've never heard that myself. I'm not saying it couldn't possibly be true, but I am curious as to your source. Regardless, he's painted many, many pictures of Christ and I don't know of any of them in which Christ is depicted with wings -- even those the LDS Church didn't "direct." I don't even know if all of the ones I posted were specifically commissioned by the LDS Church. I just know that a couple of them were, and that they're all well-known to Latter-day Saints.

You're not going to let this one go, are you? ;) You know, sometimes it's better to.
 
Last edited:

Katzpur

Not your average Mormon
I don't mean that in a mean way....

But, it seems fitting, that the 'glorious paintings of the LDS',
especially after how the opinion about their greatness was asserted so forcefully,
ended up being done by the Seventh Day Adventist.

Genuinely though, it ended up being a cool detail that arouse out of the conversation,
that I didn't know.

I like the paintings, don't get me wrong.
The irony, which struck so heartily was about presentation over than what was presented.

Information and fact, FTW.
Thank you Katz for that.
You're welcome! You know, I really love religious art. I love medieval religious art and contemporary religious art. I just see them all as different from each other, but all representing something that is deeply meaningful to the artist. Whenever I go to the Met in NYC, I spend most of my time looking at the religious art. On the other hand, I do like Harry Anderson's work and the work of other contemporary Christian artists. I find that the more "human" Christ looks, the more deeply the art touches my heart. When He is depicted as stiff and expressionless, I do not feel as drawn to the painting.
 
Last edited:

Flat Earth Kyle

Well-Known Member
Yeah, apparently they saw him as having an even greater potential than the myriad of LDS artists they might have commissioned, artists who wouldn't have "needed direction."

I find it interesting that, until I told you, you didn't even know he was a Seventh Day Adventist. But somehow you seemed to know at the same time that supposedly originally painted Christ with wings. I've never heard that myself. I'm not saying it couldn't possibly be true, but I am curious as to your source. Regardless, he's painted many, many pictures of Christ and I don't know of any of them in which Christ is depicted with wings -- even those the LDS Church didn't "direct." I don't even know if all of the ones I posted were specifically commissioned by the LDS Church. I just know that a couple of them were, and that they're all well-known to Latter-day Saints.

You're not going to let this one go, are you? ;) You know, sometimes it's better to.

Actually Del Parson is my teacher at Dixie State University. I am taking a portrait painting class from him as well as a landscape painting class from him. He will be the first to tell you that he has gotten directions in doing his artwork for the church. Particularly in the famous one of Christ in the red robe that I have previously posted.
 

Flat Earth Kyle

Well-Known Member

Shiranui117

Pronounced Shee-ra-noo-ee
Premium Member
This BYU article mentions Harry Anderson was counciled not to paint the angels with wings.
https://byustudies.byu.edu/PDFLibrary/44.2BarrettBlack db2cfcac-4103-4680-bd03-29117961ff6f.pdf
Why would the LDS church not want the angels to have wings? Is it for a theological reason I'm unaware of? :confused:

My understanding of traditionally depicting angels with wings is to signify that they are always ready to quickly carry out God's will, come speedily to our aid, deliver a message ASAP, etc, etc... Do the LDS have a different take on how angels should be depicted? If so, for what reason?
 

Flat Earth Kyle

Well-Known Member
Why would the LDS church not want the angels to have wings? Is it for a theological reason I'm unaware of? :confused:

My understanding of traditionally depicting angels with wings is to signify that they are always ready to quickly carry out God's will, come speedily to our aid, deliver a message ASAP, etc, etc... Do the LDS have a different take on how angels should be depicted? If so, for what reason?

We believe wings are symbolic of exactly what you were saying, but we do not believe that angels really have wings. We believe we are children of God and joint heirs with Christ, we also believe that we are made in God's physical image and thus we believe that angels do not have literal wings.
 
Top