Comments on: George Reynolds and C.C.A. Christensen: Illustrated Book of Mormon Stories

By: Researcher

Researcher — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:44:58 +0000

You can look it up on ebay or Amazon. Various editions are listed from about 25 dollars to 75 dollars. Of course, the price of any given book depends on factors such as the edition, the condition, and whether someone’s willing to buy it.

By: Max

Max — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 04:51:37 +0000

I have an original copy of the 1888 “The Story of the Book of Mormon”. Does anyone have an idea approximately how much it’s worth?

By: Eric Boysen

Eric Boysen — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 14:38:32 +0000

Chili?

By: Justin

Justin — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:06:38 +0000

FWIW, I found a few DN articles on the art competition: To the Artists of Utah (p. 23) Sunday School Union (p. 33)

By: Noel C.

Noel C. — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 16:43:34 +0000

Thank you for the kind works, Ardis. I am glad that you brought the Juvenile Instructor images to our attention, nonetheless. They were an important follow up (part II, if you will) to what Reynolds started with his Story project. I think our generation forgets that, prior to Arnold Frieberg, there were other artists who had illustrated the Book of Mormon and their work had an impact on how BOM readers--especially children--envisioned the narrative.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:48:29 +0000

Thank you, Noel, for coming by. I read your article last night and find it fantastic — so much so that had I been aware of it earlier, I probably wouldn’t have written this post. Or at most I might have made only the point that the reproductions, as poor as they are, met a need that I think most of us feel to visualize the past — for church members away from the center, these engravings were all they had along that line.

By: Noel C.

Noel C. — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:18:17 +0000

Thanks for sharing, Ardis. You, Richard, and Ron, are probably right about the Juvenile Instructor images. My article paid special attention to the Story images, but I did not examine the Instructor paintings as closely. You were fortunate to have found (and examined) the originals. Stylistically, they do appear to be Christensen's work--an identification that is not as easy to do with poorly engraved reproductions. Kudos to you for bringing them to our attention, and showing them in their colorful splendor! Warmest regards, Noel

By: m&m

m&m — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 05:40:31 +0000

Beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

I appreciate comments that have articulated what people have liked and felt, because I can’t articulate what I like, but I really like these paintings.

As a less insightful comment, I wonder why Nephi has a beard in some paintings and not in others. Could that be a way to portray the passage of time?

By: Velikiye Kniaz

Velikiye Kniaz — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 02:46:57 +0000

I believe that C.C.A. Christensens’s work would likely be classified as ‘naive’, and therein lies it’s seeming veracity. The above comments regarding the true to life poses of some of the characters portrayed in his scenes are insightful and absolutely correct. One could well imagine the excitement that Christensen would generate when he came to a small settlement or town with his narrative panorama. It is easy to visualize the row of kerosene lamps in front of his scrolled scenes in a darkened room filled with children and adults. Likely the closest the pioneer Saints came to experiencing television. This would have been a faith promoting event that would have been talked about for weeks afterward.
I have often wondered about Christensen’s consistently skewed perspective that somewhat flattens his scenes. Could this be, as it was in the case of Monet, and indication of an eye problem? Perhaps astigmatism. Nonetheless, it does not distract from the impact of his work, which stands as a great testimony to his devotion to the Faith. Would to God that all of the modern descendants of the pioneers exhibited similar faith and dedication.

By: Bruce Crow

Bruce Crow — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 01:57:02 +0000

The painting style reminds me of Henri Rousseau’s work. His most famous was The Sleeping Gypsy from 1897. I wonder if they had a common influence.