“God helps me—that’s what I think, and then I am calm.” ~Carl Heinrich Bloch
I grew up being somewhat familiar with many of the works of Carl Bloch (such as The Sermon on the Mount pictured above) as they were used in Primary lessons and hung in the hallways and classrooms of churches I attended. You have probably seen many of them as well. We were lucky enough to get to go to the Carl Bloch exhibit at the BYU MOA and see some of these paintings while we were in Utah. Several of the pieces that reside in churches around the world were brought together for the exhibit so it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
The Doubting Thomas
I don’t think I have ever been moved by art like I was moved by the Bloch paintings. One of the first things I noticed was how luminous the paintings were. It was like they shone with inner light. I found myself getting a little weepy as I looked at them. They evoked such feelings of reverence. It was a truly uplifting experience to get to go with my family and see these masterpieces in person.
One of my favorites was The Daughter of Jairus. The mother sits by her daughter’s bedside, despairing—a tear runs down her cheek. She does not notice that Christ has appeared in the doorway. The sun is rising behind him, illuminating him and foreshadowing the marvelous and miraculous event that is about to occur.
I have also always loved Christ Healing the Sick at Bethesda. The amount of detail you can see in the original is amazing. Many of the pieces were very large and seeing them up close was a powerful experience.
Christmas was just a few days away when we went to the exhibit and I was so grateful to be able to celebrate the birth of our Savior in such a beautiful way. I can’t think of a more fitting activity.
- Woman at the Well
- Christ and Thorns
- Christ and Child
- The Last Supper
- Healing the Blind Man
- Gethsemane
- Christ and the Children
- Cleansing the Temple
- Consolator
For a complete catalog of Bloch’s work click here.
*Cameras were not allowed in the exhibit and I didn’t think to take any pictures of our group outside of the exhibit so this is all I have for this adventure.
3 comments:
I just came across your blog because I recently went to the Carl Bloch museum too and am actually writing a paper on my favorite altarpiece, which is the Daughter of Jairus. Your blog is really cute! I am happy i found it!
If you want to see more of Carl Block's work and other great art, there is a museum in Salt Lake that has a beautiful collection of original paintings by him. I'm sure some of them have be lended to the BYU exhibit. It's called the Hope Gallery, and it's on Main Street. I actually had my wedding reception there! It was amazing to have everyone be able to go into the room where the Carl Bloch paintings were and wander around and see other beautiful art as part of our celebration. There was music playing softly, and you can really feel the Spirit there. Ask for Camilla, she runs the museum, and most of the painting are her father's collection. It's a big place inside an historic bank, so there are painting hanging even inside the old vault. It's great!
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