External links
- Official website
- Recording of Parson in the St. George Tabernacle discussing his life and work
- Deadlink deseretbook.com/p/christ-red-robe-16x22-framed-print-del-parson-74587 Image of "Christ in Red Robe"
Del Parson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1948 |
| Nationality | American |
| Notable work | Christ in Red Robe (1983) |
Delwin Oliver "Del" Parson (born 1948) is an American painter who is well known for his Latter-day Saint-themed paintings. [1] His painting of Jesus, "Christ in Red Robe," [2] is recognizable from its wide use by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). [3] [4]
Parson was born in Ogden, Utah and grew up in Rexburg, Idaho, where his father was an art professor at Ricks College. [5] He is one of nine children, three of whom became professional artists. [6]
Parson attended Ricks College and later Brigham Young University (BYU), where he received a B.A. in Life Sciences [6] in 1972 and a Master of Fine Arts in drawing and painting in 1975. [1] Parson was a gallery and portrait artist [5] before becoming a professor of art at Dixie College in 1988. [1] There he was awarded the Teaching Excellence Award from the Utah College Council in 1990. [7]
After the death of his wife, Joycel, and oldest daughter in a 1978 car accident, Parson felt inspired to begin painting primarily religious subjects. [6]
In 1983, he was commissioned by the LDS Church to paint "Christ in Red Robe," his first portrait of Jesus, which has since been used in many church materials. [3] This portrait is the subject of popular Mormon folklore, with claims that Parson produced the work under the direction of church general authorities, who suggested how to make it more accurate, until it was deemed the closest resemblance of Jesus Christ. [6] [8] [9] [10] Parson denies this, stating the work's commission and revisions were according to the needs of the church curriculum department. [4]
In April 2011, the biographical film "Del Parson: Portraits of Love" premiered on BYUtv.
Parson lives in Cedar City, Utah [1] with his wife, Lynette, and has six children.
Parson is a traditional realist artist and creates mostly Latter-day Saint art, but also works on other themes, such as landscapes. The LDS Church has commissioned Parson to paint over 240 works, [3] many of which are of Jesus Christ. One painting in particular, of the resurrected Christ exiting the tomb, is found in many the church's meetinghouses and homes of its members.[ citation needed ]
Parson has received regional and national awards for his work. His work has been displayed at the Allied Artists of America, National Academy of Design, Knickerbocker Artist, American Artists Professional League, the Amarillo Rotary Show, [5] the Springville Museum of Art, [1] the Morrison-Knudsen corporate headquarters, the Church History Museum, and the National Center for Constitutional Studies. [7] His work has been the sole subject of exhibits at Dixie State University, BYU, BYU Idaho, the Las Vegas Art Museum, and the James M. Haney Art Gallery in Amarillo, Texas. [1]
Jeffrey Roy Holland is an American educator and religious leader. He served as the ninth President of Brigham Young University (BYU) and is the acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Holland is accepted by the church as a prophet, seer, and revelator. Currently, he is the third most senior apostle in the church.
James C. Christensen was an American illustrator and painter of religious and fantasy art.
The Church Educational System (CES) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints consists of several institutions that provide religious and secular education for both Latter-day Saint and non–Latter-day Saint elementary, secondary, and post-secondary students and adult learners. Approximately 700,000 individuals were enrolled in CES programs in 143 countries in 2011. CES courses of study are separate and distinct from religious instruction provided through wards. Clark G. Gilbert, a general authority seventy, has been the CES commissioner since August 1, 2021.
LeConte Stewart was a Latter-day Saint artist primarily known for his landscapes of rural Utah. His media included oils, watercolors, pastel and charcoal, as well as etchings, linocuts, and lithographs. His home/studio in Kaysville, Utah is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Arnold Friberg was an American illustrator and painter noted for his religious and patriotic works. He is perhaps best known for his 1975 painting The Prayer at Valley Forge, a depiction of George Washington praying at Valley Forge. He is also well known for his 15 "pre-visualization" paintings for the Cecil B. DeMille film The Ten Commandments which were used to promote the film worldwide and for which he received an Academy Award nomination.
Minerva Bernetta Kohlhepp Teichert was a 20th-century American artist who painted Western and Mormon subjects, including murals of scenes from the Book of Mormon. She received her art education from the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Students League of New York, and was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Religious-themed artwork by Teichert includes Christ in a Red Robe, Queen Esther, and Rescue of the Lost Lamb. She painted 42 murals related to stories in the Book of Mormon which reside in Brigham Young University's (BYU) Museum of Art. Teichert was the first woman invited to paint a mural for an LDS Church temple.
Bruce Clark Hafen is an American attorney, academic and religious leader. He has been a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 1996.
John B Fairbanks was an American landscape painter. In 1890, he was one of a group of artists who studied in Paris under the sponsorship of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in preparation for painting murals at the nearly completed Salt Lake Temple. He painted murals in the Salt Lake Temple and the Mesa Arizona Temple that still exist today. Fairbanks was the official photographer for the South American expeditions of Benjamin Cluff. Fairbanks was the first artist to live and paint in Zion National Park. He was an early art instructor at Brigham Young Academy and was one of the founding members of the Utah Art Institute. Fairbanks was the father of artists John Leo Fairbanks, Ortho Lane Fairbanks and Avard Tennyson Fairbanks (sculptor).
Brian T. Kershisnik is an American painter. He studied art at the University of Utah, Brigham Young University (BYU), and the University of Texas at Austin. He lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.
George Wendell Pace was an American professor of religion at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. He was a popular writer and speaker on religion in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and part of a public criticism voiced by Apostle Bruce R. McConkie in 1982.
Richard Olsen Cowan is a historian of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a former professor in the Church History Department of Brigham Young University (BYU). He was one of the longest-serving BYU faculty and the longest-serving member of the Church History Department ever.
Richard Lloyd Anderson was an American lawyer and theologist of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who was a professor of church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University (BYU). His book Investigating the Book of Mormon Witnesses is widely considered the definitive work on this subject. Anderson was the brother of Karl Ricks Anderson.
Richard Eyring "Rick" Turley Jr. is an American historian and genealogist. He previously served as both an Assistant Church Historian of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and as managing director of the church's public affairs department.
Paul Robert Cheesman was an American academic and a professor of religion at Brigham Young University (BYU).
The Provo Tabernacle was a tabernacle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1898 to 2010 in downtown Provo, Utah, United States. It was a historic icon of Provo and had been home to many religious and cultural events. All but the outer walls of the building were destroyed by fire in December 2010. The LDS Church preserved the remaining outer walls and built a new foundation and interior as part of the Provo City Center Temple, completed in 2016.
Mormon art comprises all visual art created to depict the principles and teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as art deriving from the inspiration of an artist's LDS religious views. Mormon art includes painting, sculpture, quilt work, photography, graphic art, and other mediums, and shares common attributes reflecting Latter-day Saint teachings and values.
Patricia Terry Holland was an American educator, writer, and religious leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She was a counselor in the church's Young Women General Presidency from 1984 to 1986. From 1980 to 1989, Holland was "first lady" of Brigham Young University (BYU) where her husband, Jeffrey R. Holland, was president of the institution.
Philanthropies, formerly LDS Philanthropies, is a department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is responsible for facilitating donations to humanitarian and educational initiatives. The department works under the direction of the church's Presiding Bishop. The most widely known educational projects are the operation of church-owned schools, such as Brigham Young University (BYU). Humanitarian funds are given to Latter-day Saint Charities which sponsors and organizes relief efforts. In 2019, the church reported over 3,000 community-based projects with an excess of 2,000 partners, in locations around the world. A 2020 statistic reported a total of $2.3 billion that had been donated over Philanthropies' existence.
James Goldberg is an American historian, playwright, poet, and writer. He has Jewish, European, and Punjabi ancestors, and his grandfather, Gurcharan Singh Gill, was the first Sikh to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He attended Otterbein University briefly before transferring to Brigham Young University (BYU), where he completed his undergraduate work and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree. He was an adjunct professor at BYU.
