Item Detail
-
19403
-
3
-
13
-
English
-
Making the Absent Visible : The Real, Ideal, and the Abstract in Mormon Art
-
Dialogue : A Journal of Mormon Thought
-
Summer 2007
-
40
-
no.2
-
47-77
-
Most "officially approved Mormon art" (art reproduced in Church publications or displayed in the Museum of Church History and Art) is grounded in realism and idealism. Realistic portrayals stem from a desire to place spiritual experiences, events, and people in a specific historical framework. Events in scripture or Church history are portrayed literally because "people gain knowledge by literally viewing the divine." Idealism comes into play when an image is rooted in a "specific time and place, but the ideals portrayed matter most." Laga feels that there is value in what he calls "nonobjective art" or art that "challenges the imitative and idealistic traditions." Nonobjective art is not grounded in reality so it can be used to express concepts and emotions, such as forgiveness and repentance, which are part of LDS theology. This type of abstract art encourages the viewer to become part of the experience, as the viewers, drawing upon their own experiences, decides what the piece of art means to them.
-
By the Hand of Mormon : The American Scripture that Launched a New World Religion
Early Mormon Documents : Volume V
Homosexuality, Mormon Doctrine, and Christianity : A Father's Perspective
Images of Christ in Latter-day Saint Visual Culture, 1900-1999
"In a Dark Time the Eye Begins to See" : Personal Reflections
Joseph Smith : Rough Stone Rolling
Same-Sex Dynamics among Nineteenth-century Americans : A Mormon Example
Single Cursedness : An Overview of LDS Authorities' Statements About Unmarried People
'The Abominable and Detestable Crime against Nature' : A Brief History of Homosexuality and Mormonism, 1840-1980
"The Grand Fundamental Principles of Mormonism" : Joseph Smith's Unfinished Reformation
The Logical Next Step : Affirming Same-Sex Relations
The Mormon Hierarchy : Origins of Power
'Ye Shall See the Heavens Open' : Portrayal of the Divine and the Angelic in Latter-day Saint Art