Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Another print in my house


This print hangs above my piano.  The frame was made by my dad.

It is a scene depicting two brothers, one sitting on a swing, the other standing next to him.  The one on the swing is my great grandfather.  Toothsome #3 is named after him.  

This is a scene painted from where my relatives settled--Pelican Point and as my father always says, "on the other side of Utah Lake."  That is their house in the background and their well in the foreground.  
This picture was painted by the artist Dan Weggeland.

This is what wikipedia says about him:

Weggeland was born in the city of Christiansand (now Kristiansand), Norway. At age sixteen he began studying with a portrait painter in Christiana and at age 20 he went toCopenhagen where he eventually studied at the Danish Royal Academy of Art.[3]
After two years in Copenhagen, Weggeland returned to Christiana, where he worked as a portrait painter and did some work for theatres.[3]
In 1854, he was introduced to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and one of his main teachers was a missionary who had also attended the Royal Academy of Art, C. C. A. Christensen. After being baptized a member of the LDS Church, Weggeland moved to England. He served as a church missionary in England from 1857 to 1861. He then went to New York City where he studied with Daniel Huntington and George P. A. Healey.[3]
In 1862, Weggeland went on to Florence, Nebraska, from which he left in August for Utah Territory.[3] Weggeland journeyed to Utah in the Henry W. Miller Company.[5]Weggeland made sketches on his journey to Utah.[6]
During his early days in Utah Weggeland would occasionally trade a painting for a pair of well-knit socks.[7]
Weggeland's first major artistic work in Utah was his joint commission with C. C. A. Christensen to do a series of paintings from the Bible and Book of Mormon. This commission came from Dimick B. Huntington.[7]
Weggeland made many paintings involving Mormon pioneers.[8]
Weggeland did murals for the St. GeorgeMantiLogan and Salt Lake Temples of the LDS Church.[9][10] He had also served as an art instructor to most of the church's art missionaries before they went to France.[11]
Weggeland died in Salt Lake City, Utah.[3]

At some point, my family established a relationship with Dan Weggeland and he often stayed with them painting scenes around their house.  My family owns this and several other of his paintings.  I love how in a small way, we are connected to this man's work and that my family is immortalized by him, living their simple life, fishing, farming and sheep sheering around Utah Lake. 

I adore this print and I consider it one of the prized pieces of art at my house.  

4 comments:

Kari said...

What a cool pioneer story! I enlarged the photo. That frame is really pretty.

Jane Anne said...

Wonderful story

Lisa Christine said...

That is a treasure!

Ruth said...

I just love how the article says he would sometimes trade a painting for a 'well knit pair of socks' I remember this painting now...You showed it to me once.