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Education for Eternity

Visual Arts Quotes

Benthin, Johan H.

"Thoughts on Art and Inspiration." In Arts and Inspiration, edited by Steven P. Sondrup. (Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Press, 1980), pp. 77-82.

I believe that the key to the greatness or effectiveness of an artist is his attitude toward his feeling or inspiration. Where does it come from? How does he prepare to receive it? How does he recognize it when it comes? How can he best use his talent to put his inspiration into a useful form for others? These are questions that, for me, are at the heart of my God-given talent. To receive inspiration I must prepare: Sheer existence is no assurance that artistic inspiration can be received. It requires a great deal of mental preparation. I meditate. I pray. I strive for a humble attitude toward the creative act, which I look upon as a one-way communication with the ever-working creative powers in this world. One cannot be tense or so involved with self that one cannot see, or the inspiration will not get through. When this happens, the artist can neither create nor help his viewers co-create: The artist is unable to perceive his unfulfilled desires, those feelings still available for exploration. (p. 78)

Bowen, Gordon.

"The Viability of the Arts." An address given to the faculty and students of The College of Fine Arts and Communications on November 3, 1994. Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.

I think God is waiting for us to paint the light spots on the dark canvas. I believe He longs to inspire us with the ideas and the scripts and the paintings and the choreography and the music that can, quite literally, leap out of the darkness with a brilliance heretofore unknown, and call us into the light. And, I believe, there are people in this kingdom who can do just that. Are we enough you might ask? We're just a handful of Saints in a pretty intimidating world?

Baloney. We are a Church of nearly 10 million people. That is more people than lived in Italy during the Renaissance and we are as numerous as our Jewish brethren. Yet, where are our Michelangelo's and Meryl Streep's? Our Frank Capra's and Monet's? Our Shakespeare's and Bryshnikov's? We are no little cult hiding somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. We are The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--the third largest religious denomination in America. We can accomplish whatever the priorities of our people are. With grit and determination, the Jews practically control Hollywood. What is stopping us? (p. 21)

Bradshaw, Merrill.

"Reflections on the Nature of Mormon Art." BYU Studies 9(1), Autumn 1968, pp. 25-32.

The Mormon creative artist stands in a unique, favorable position with respect to his art, his historical opportunity, aesthetic principles, and styles of expression. The challenges of this position offer exciting potential for the creation of enduring works of art worthy of the Church and of the attention of the rest of the artistic world. (p. 25)

"Toward a Mormon Aesthetic." BYU Studies 21(1), Winter 1981, pp. 91-99.

If, as we proclaim, Mormons have a distinctive view of man and his reason for being in the world, then it seems almost inevitable that this view of man, this set of reasons would give rise to some new insights about our sense of beauty, of our purposes in the arts, of our relations with our artists. (p. 91)

Hicks, Michael.

"Notes on Brigham Young's Aesthetics." Dialogue, pp. 124-130.

Brigham Young may seem the unlikely choice for aesthetician. Yet none has addressed the philosophical issues of art, beauty, and their place in the kingdom with greater clarity than he. (p. 124)

. . .

According to Young, our purpose here is to organize and reconcile all we find, to "improve upon and make beautiful everything around [us]" (Journal of Discourses 8:83), until the whole earth has been ordered enough for God to receive it back (9:242; 17:53). Beautification is a necessary prelude to redemption, not only restoration to original beauty but increased and improved loveliness (10:313, 177). After all, man was given his abilities in the beginning to use in tending the garden (13:3). And since the Fall he must work even harder to push back the resulting tide of ugliness (disorganization). . . . God may punish indifference to the arts by the withdrawal of good taste. Young suggests the sons of perdition will meet with disorganization, the clear first sign of which is that they "decrease in beauty" (18:232). (p. 127)

. . .

What are the elements of true beauty and good art? Young suggests at least three: overall systematization, simplicity of form, and within it, "endless variety" (9:369). (p. 127)

. . .

In the LDS opus strict spiritual discipline must be wedded to the artistic: obedience is neglected at the expense of the "beauty of holiness" (Ps. 29:2). Because people have not been righteous many of the arts known to the ancients have been lost (13:306). The bane of Babylon--that "perfect sea of confusion" (17:41) -- is the continual unwillingness to acknowledge and seek the true source of art, the Creator himself (12:207). Even though he, through the fountain of intelligence, dispenses enlightenment impartially, truths of art and science are revealed to the righteous and an angel "knows more about . . . the arts . . . than all the men on earth" (7:278; 10:351). It is not form or structure that produce beauty, but the presence of truth. (p. 129)

"Music." In Daniel H. Ludlow (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Mormonism (New York: Macmillan, 1992).

Throughout the Church's history, music has always permeated the assemblies of the Saints and has energized their pursuit of spiritual and cultural betterment. . . .

Although some American Christian churches historically have held conflicting views on music, a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith in July 1830 (D&C 25) likened "the song of the righteous" to prayer, confirming the propriety of vocal music for worship. . . .

President Brigham Young set the tone for official LDS statements on music, defining it as a "magic power" that could "fill the air with harmony, and cheer and comfort the hearts of men, and so wonderfully affect the brute creation" (JD 1:48). Since his time, General Authorities of the Church have continued to praise music as a soothing influence, a purifier of thought, and a uniter of hearts. The type of music most consistently endorsed has been sacred vocal music prepared especially for LDS worship. . . .

A few stylistic issues have surfaced in the twentieth century. Some Church authorities have advised against certain popular styles of music, citing their loudness, their rhythmic intensity, and the indecency of some of their lyrics; members are counseled to be wise in selecting their recreational music. Questions also have been raised over the propriety of using styles of music found outside the hymnal in worship services.

King, Arthur Henry.

"Religion, Art, and Morality." In The Abundance of the Heart. Salt Lake City, UT: Bookcraft, 1986.

But we who are members of this church know perfectly well that without religion, morality is useless--it is theoretically comprehensible, but practically nonlivable. Religion provides the force, the living force, by which morality is endurable, enjoyable. It is not possible to live at the level that the Lord requires except through religion. (p. 119)

. . .

A related mistake we have made in our age is to cut off art from religion. It has been related throughout history by origin and practice to religion, and it cannot be great without religion: in all great art, if there is not an assurance of religion, there is a striving for religion. (p. 124)

. . .

To bring the moral and the aesthetic together is to get to the point in our lives where the good, the true, and the beautiful are the same. These three things are not different things; they are aspects of the same thing. If we think that something is good but neither beautiful nor true, our idea of goodness is wrong. And if we think that something is true but neither beautiful nor good, then our idea of truth is wrong. If we think something is beautiful but neither true nor good, our idea of beauty is wrong. (p. 125)

. . .

The Standard: We are greatly helped in judging art because we have the scriptures. . . . they are the greatest writing, the greatest literature. They have the highest theological and moral teaching for us, and their method of expression is the highest. The scriptures are given to us in total speech, and the artistry of that speech reaches the height. It goes beyond ordinary discursion. The scriptures work more subtly than any other literature ever produced.

. . .

We should ask ourselves about literature other than the scriptures, "Is this literature before me worthy of being read in comparison with the gospel? Will this literature help me with the gospel?" If the answers are yes, read it; if they are no, leave it. (p. 129)

. . .

The best literature of our times (outside of the gospel) is miserable, uncertain, vicious, uncertain, cynical, uncertain, sardonic, uncertain. And it is no accident that this is the case. The reason is that faith has gone out to a lower ebb than it has ever been at before in Western civilization. Knowledge of the gospel, understanding of the gospel, and above all, following the gospel, are less common now outside of the Church than they have ever been. Only the bad literature of our time is 'happy,' and it is bad because the happiness is synthetic. (p. 134)

Mathews, Conan E.

"Art and the Church." BYU Studies 58(17), Winter 1961, pp. 3-7.

We are a peculiar people in possession of the fullness of the Gospel and the keys of the Last Dispensation. As such, what is our responsibility as artists, musicians, and writers? As scholars and students or teachers, how far shall we go in the use of the creations of Catholic and Protestant churches? Or shall we deny the heritage of their standards and criteria, past as well as present, and create our own works without regard for the so-called Christian tradition? If we could or did disregard this religious art, to what would we turn? To whom do we look for the new or the original purpose and meaning of the fine arts? What is the relationship of the arts to our religion or our worship? Is art to teach only or to inspire also? Should it represent or symbolize? Are the universal characteristics and responses to esthetic form related in any way to the religious response and experience? Are these two areas of human experience more meaningful independent of each other, or does one enrich the other? Should it be primarily pragmatic and materialistic? This, actually, is the emphasis we tend to give art at present. It would seem right and consistent with our faith that we can study and learn from the past, that we recognize the fact that in any culture or religion there may be usable and applicable music, literature, and painting. But what shall guide our selections? (p. 5)

Nixon, William.

"The Purpose of Art." Latter-day Digest 2(2), March 1993, pp. 1-11.

Art is not for art's sake, but for the sake of man: to ennoble, inspire, comfort, encourage, and to help him discern a higher ideal. . . . It is true that art alone may not be able to spare mankind from war, famine, poverty, deceit, and the abuses that humanity can commit against itself, but lasting art can raise us above these mortal conditions, revitalizing us against adversity, lifting our vision and aspirations beyond the horizon of our everyday lives. It can distill within a song, or verse, or book the essence of truth and the rewards of virtue. Real art is illumination, light in mortality, that can, in emotional detail, help us understand who we are, what we believe, where we come from, and what awaits us. It serves up our ideas as well as our ideals and whispers truth to brace us against the night. (p. 5)

Nixon, William. "Art of Truth." Latter-day Digest 2(8), December 1993, pp. 9-19.

Frankl [in Man's Search for Meaning] writes about how the prisoners improvised a crude cabaret where they would secretly sing, share poetry, and act in plays. These were unsanctioned activities--punishable by death--but art, even in raw form, became so important to these prisioners that they would skip needed meals to attend the shows, despite the fatigue of their gruelling, forced labor. Spirit-sustaining art, like religious devotion, took priority over their daily food rations. As their inner lives intensified, they intuitively understood that art and beauty are the soul's weapons in the fight for self-preservation. They understood what Victor Hugo means when he writes in Les Miserables that "the beautiful is as useful as the useful. More so, perhaps." This is a truth Hugh Nibley also acknwoledges when he teaches that "a desire and a feeling for beauty are the surest guardians of survivial. (p. 12)

    Boyd K. Packer

    Packer, Boyd K. "The Arts and the Spirit of the Lord." In Arts and Inspiration, edited by Steven P. Sondrup. (Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Press, 1980), pp. 3-21.

    It is a mistake to assume that one can follow the ways of the world and then somehow, in a moment of intruded inspiration, compose a great anthem of the Restoration, or in a moment of singular inspiration paint the great painting. When it is done, it will be done by one who has yearned and tried and longed fervently to do it, not by one who has condescended to do it. It will take quite as much preparation and work as any masterpiece, and a different kind of inspiration. (p. 10)

    . . .

    I mentioned earlier that the greatest hymns and anthems have not been composed, nor have the greatest illustrations been set down, nor the poems written, nor the paintings finished. When they are produced, who will produce them? Will it be the most talented and the most highly trained among us? I rather think it will not. They will be produced by those who are the most inspired among us. Inspiration can come to those whose talents are barely adequate, and their contribution will be felt for generations; and the Church and kingdom of God will move forward just a little more easily because they have been here. (p. 13)

      Martha Moffit Peacock

      Peacock, Martha Moffit. "Art in Mormonism." In Daniel H. Ludlow (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Mormonism (New York: Macmillan, 1992).

      From the earliest days of the Church, its leaders have recognized the significant role art plays in enlightening and inspiring Church members. . . . Because Mormon art has been primarily oriented toward service in the Church, much of it has been didactic.

      . . .

      The purposes of inspiration and encouragement are equally important to the purpose of instruction in LDS art. Whether it is conveyed through a painted landscape or a sculpted human figure in solitary prayer, the spirit of LDS art is essentially the same: it evokes a sense of the goodness of God and of a belief in his eternal plan for mankind. It is this overarching philosophy, this spiritual perspective, that binds LDS artists together.

      Even though LDS artists have been aware of contemporary trends in art, they have generally chosen not to follow the current avant-garde fashion. They have tried to relate their art in a pervasive, eternal sense to concerns that continually affect mankind. Their quest consists of the attempt to translate their religious ideals into their various mediums. Their search thus takes them on a different path from that of many other artists and attempts to lead them to the spiritual sources of their beliefs. Feeling that they will reach their goals only through direct access to this spiritual source, LDS artists seek inspiration as a means of attaining this quality in their art. For them, painting or sculpting is a private activity imbued with purpose that affects more than their artistic lives. By conducting their lives with a sense of truth and integrity, they hope to be brought closer to this spiritual core.

        Lori Schlinker

        Schlinker, Lori, Kitsch in the Visual Arts and Advertisement of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Unpublished Thesis. Brigham Young University, August 1971.

        The purpose of this study is to introduce the term kitsch and clarify its meaning and to attain an insight by making accessible opinions about the visual arts and advertisement of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by means of seven interviews and consultation of literature on the subject. The persons interviewed in this thesis were assumed to be familiar with kitsch and were particularly selected to represent viewpoints from completely different angles. [Persons interviewed included: Leon Hale (Assistant Exhibit Designer for the Church Information Service); Mark John Freckleton (BYU student); Wulf Barsch (BYU graduate student and assistant); Roland Siegrist (visiting Assistant Professor of Art at the University of Utah); Ed Maryon (Dean and Professor of Art at the University of Utah); Hugh Nibley (BYU Professor of History and Religion); Conan E. Mathews (BYU Professor of Art).] (p. 1)

        . . .

        General Outcomings of the Interviews

        There is a unanimous agreement that:

        1. There are good technical qualities in much of the art work done for the Church.

        2. All the art work throughout the Visitor's Centers and elsewhere has an illustrative character.

        3. The work is didactic.

        4. The techniques are realistic and, in most cases, naturalistic.

        5. The Tabernacle in Salt Lake City is an outstanding example of good architecture.

        6. The less or uneducated people are most receptive to kitsch.

        7. There is a great necessity for improvement in educating the membership of the Church. . . .

        The majority agrees that:

        1. The art work in the Church is not to be considered as fine art.

        2. Much of it is, more or less, kitschy.

        3. There is a strong advertising tendency in the informations and publications of the Church.

        4. Kitsch is harmful; however, there are doubts about a possible harmless kitsch in some cases.

        5. There is a danger to alienate people who are more sensitive and discriminating and thereby to lose a selected membership.

        6. There is a way to incorporate elements of Modern Art into the art and publication work of the Church (Some remarked this would be a difficult task.)

        7. There is a tendency in temple design from an eclectic, but honest architecture, towards an overly representative style with the main purpose to impress. . . . None of the temples were called original in style.

        8. Educating "the man as a whole" is emphasized as a necessity for the membership of the church. Also a lack of general education beginning with high schools and the need for improvement in the quality of schooling altogether with more emphasis on fine art or art appreciation.

        9. Visual aids in missionary work and in general are felt not ideal but necessary under the present conditions. Since an illustration in its character serves as a visual aid, the illustrative material in the Visitor's Centers consists basically of visual aids. (pp. 86-88)

        Nicolas Shumway

        Shumway, Nicolas. "Art and Worship: Toward a Theoretical Accommodation." In Arts and Inspiration, edited by Steven P. Sondrup. (Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Press, 1980), pp. 35-43.

        The easiest way to avoid solving a problem is to deny that it exists. Such is the approach of those who glibly maintain that art in a Church context poses no problem for Latter-day Saints because art is one thing and Church another, that trying to meet the demands of both is serving contrary masters. Despite its enviable simplicity, such an argument has little to do with the Church as most of us know it and in the long run is better for stopping discussions than solving problems. That fact is that in today's Church, music is an essential part of worship services, each Church building is potentially an art object, visitors' centers rely heavily on visual representations, literature and theater from Jesus' parables to Shakespeare's plays are used in teaching, and Church artists and intellectuals are repeatedly asked to make contributions to the kingdom--an odd assignment if art is supposedly one thing and the Church another. (p. 35)

        Johann Wondra

        Wondra, Johann. "Art: A Possibility for Love." In Arts and Inspiration, edited by Steven P. Sondrup. (Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Press, 1980), pp. 143-153.

        Capitalizing on the corruption and evil designs that, in the last days, are present in the hearts of cunning men, Satan uses the power of art to suffocate the concept of salvation and to lead our world to destruction. Ennobling art, though, helps prepare the elect for the message of the gospel and permits us to hope for a Zion where the Saints will live together in a culture of peace, of love, and of beauty, where our lives will become art. I have experienced in my own life the effect of ennobling works of art as it prepared me for the gospel of Jesus Christ. (p. 144)

        . . .

        The key by which to judge whether a work of art is inspired by God or by evil is clear and unmistakable: "Every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God" (Moroni 7:16). Art that is from God will praise the Lord and his creations, awaken love and sympathy for neighbors, and never injure the dignity of man. Art is therefore a possibility for love: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself" (Luke 10:27). Divinely inspired art will express a love of God in that it praises the Lord, his creation and his work on earth. It will promote love of neighbors in that it teaches Christian virtues in daily life. Whoever masterfully controls artistic forms and patterns and has the most love will bring forth the greatest works of art. By means of love, we are one with the Creator and can create as he did. This love is a gift of God that he gives freely to those who keep his commandments and ask for this gift. (p. 152)