Beautiful music and art have been created through the centuries to commemorate Easter (and Christmas). We saw this painting by Carl Bloch a few years ago at a special exhibit at the BYU art museum. The art was breathtaking. Tonight we attended a special Easter concert at the St. George LDS Tabernacle with Scott's brother and sister-in-law, Spence and Melanie, who are currently serving as missionaries at church historical sites in the St. George area. It was so fun to visit with them and meet some of the people they serve with. The music by the Southern Utah Heritage Choir was inspiring. I was touched by music I've never heard before but want to add to my personal music playlists such as a song called, "No Other Name" by Lynn S. Lund. I'm so grateful for the work of genius artists and musicians that help me worship in a personal and spirit-filled way.
Herman du Toit was the head of museum research at the Museum of Art at Brigham Young University when this was published.
The power of images cannot be underestimated. Inspired works of art speak to us across the centuries, across cultures, and across national boundaries. This is because inspired art has the power to visualize and articulate the spiritual. One of the ways the artist serves us, the viewer, is to offer an interpretation or a personal vision of a particular event, and this in turn compels us to consider and reevaluate our own ideas and concepts. We may or may not agree with a particular representation, but the very act of looking causes us to test our own interpretations and preconceived ideas. More important, however, as we are drawn into the artist’s vision of a religious event, we come to realize for ourselves the truth behind what they are depicting. In this process of discovery, concepts are clarified, new meanings are instilled, and understanding is enlarged.
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| Carl Heinrich Bloch, The Burial, ca. 1873. The Museum of National History on Frederiksborg Castle. Courtesy of Intellectual Reserve, Inc. |
