The Master's Hand

We traveled up to BYU campus to see the magnificent Carl Bloch altar paintings on display at the Museum of Art. It is the first time these paintings have EVER been out of their respective churches in Denmark and Sweden. It was a wonderful experience to see them; they are so beautiful and exude a powerful spiritual feeling. The first one we saw left me speechless and in tears. It was The Doubting Thomas.
The colors were so vivid, the use of light and shadow so dramatic, the face of the Savior so peaceful, and feeling of peace so overwhelming. Merritt looked at the painting and said, "Look Mom! This painting was just finished yesterday, it's still wet!" Indeed, the paint did look wet; it has been marvelously preserved. Even though it was done in 1881 there are no signs of age, no drying and cracking of the paint. It was as though Bloch had just stepped back from the final brush stroke.

We went from room to room, sitting in the thoughtfully provided chairs and contemplating the life of the Savior. We saw:

Christ Healing the Sick at Bethseda - 1883
(This particular painting is owned by the BYU Museum of Art. It was acquired in 2003.)

Christ in Gethsemane - 1879

Christ and the Young Child - 1873

Christus Consolator - 1884

There were also on display a number of Bloch's other works. We saw portraits he had painted of family members and others, studies he had done while in Italy, other religious works such as The Daughter of Jarius, a beautiful painting that captures the moment of a mother's grief over the death of her daughter just as the Light and Life of the World enters the door; and Down From the Cross, which depicts the sorrowful and reverent actions of Jesus' disciples as they wrap his body at the base of the cross. Also on display were many etchings, one of which Chad and I just adored. It is entitled The Nativity and it is truly beautiful. My favorite thing about it is the pure and sweet face of Mary; Bloch did it so well.

It was such a wonderful experience to see this artwork. I'm so glad we took the time to do so. I love the feeling that viewing beautiful things gives me; I feel like a better person. I'm glad we had the chance to show them to the children as well, I loved their expressions and comments. Thanks to Heather, Mom and Dad for accompanying us too...even though dinner following was full of drama!! You all are troopers!