Natividad

(Probably Natividad is not how you say Nativity in Spanish, but in my version of Spanish, it is. And really, that's the only kind of Spanish spoken in my home and on my blog. So you can take your real Spanish somewhere else, por favor.)

Up above we have Brian Kershisnik's Nativity, one of my favorite paintings ever by one of my favorite artists ever, who is certainly my favorite LDS artist ever. (Speaking of LDS artists, if you ever want to see me get real passionate real quick about something, let's talk about LL Swindle sometime.)

Over the weekend I went to go see this piece of work in real life at the BYU Museum of Art. It was so great to sit there and look at it with my girl Shelly, and talk about the kind of art we want in our homes. (Hint: NOT Sister Swindle.) And then on Sunday (MY BIRTHDAY!) I taught part of our Relief Society lesson, and talked about it. So I've been thinking about it a lot, and I wanted to document the first time I ever saw this beautiful thing, because heaven knows I never wrote in my journal about it.

Several years ago, I had a wonderful class at BYU called "Art for Art History Majors." Can you imagine anything more glorious? It is the most incredible class, because they had low expectations for artistic ability, and gave us introductions to all sorts of mediums of art. Throw in the one of the funniest professors I have ever had, a cute TA who looks like Jason Statham, and a high school friend to take the class with, and it was basically the best class I ever took.

Cute Bren, my friend I took the class with, has a connection to Brian Kershisnik through her mom, they grew up together. Brian just happened to be a visiting art professor at BYU the very same semester I took this class, and sometimes Bren and I would run into him in the hall. He knows her, so he would stop and chat with us for a while, and I always loved it. I have loved him as an artist for years, because my parents have some of his paintings in their house, so meeting him and talking with him about art in the halls of the HFAC was like meeting a rockstar backstage for me.

One day, as we were cleaning up our easels after oil painting, Bren and I were in the hallway, and he came along and started chatting with us. Then he said, "Do you want to see what I'm working on right now?" Obviously we said yes, and he brought us into his little studio, and showed us this painting. We of course oohed and aahed over the angels, and then he sat and talked to us for a little while. That little slice of time, probably half an hour, is one of my most cherished memories of my BYU experience. (Sometime I should compile ALL my cherished BYU moments. For my memoirs, you know. There are so so many. Like watching a Quill and the Sword kid pull out a SEWING MACHINE in the Terrace at the Wilk to repair a tear in their cape.)


He talked to us about how he included women there with Mary, because he knows how women are. He just couldn't imagine that women would hear about someone in labor in a stable and not rush to her aid. He told us how he made Joseph look overwhelmed and exhausted because he's a father and knows those feelings. We talked about the angels. He told us that he wonders if when we were presented with the Plan of Salvation in the premortal existence, if we didn't quite understand the Atonement part of that plan. But once Christ was born, and all the angels in heaven rejoiced, maybe some of them started to realize what was going to happen. That's why not all of them look joyful, some are a little more concerned about the awful, yet wonderful, undertaking this baby is going to grow up to do. Some are crying, some are singing, some are just looking on in wonder, and it's because there are so many feelings associated with the Atonement. You feel sad and grateful and amazed and excited all at once.

I love this painting. My parents have a huge print of it in their house, and I plan to have one in my home someday too, when money allows a little better for such things. I love that it is now at BYU forever. I just feel like that's where it is meant to be. He painted it there, specifically for an exhibition there. It just feels right to me. (Also, it was a gift to the museum by an anonymous donor! Is anything more exciting than anonymous donors?)

If any of you haven't seen this painting in real life, go. It is breathtaking, and such a wonderfully fresh take on the Nativity scene.

Also, my birthday was great. I don't have any pictures of anything (so did it really happen?) but I had a good day, and the festivities continued tonight, since today is my brother Zach's birthday! Hooray.