http://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1723&context=re
Implication #3: Understand that images depicted in of cial Church publications are not of cial declarations of doctrine or history.
Just because a piece of art is published in the Ensign, it does not necessarily depict the Church’s o cial position on a scriptural, doctrinal, or historical theme. While Church magazines do what they can to attempt to have images be doctrinally and historically accurate, the reality is that it is not always fea- sible nor reasonable to do so. In an email communication, a representative at Church magazines wrote to me, “While our library consists of many images created from the past, we do not always have the time, money, or resources to create new art and direct every minutia of detail [of images] for monthly publications.”25 us the Church o en publishes paintings created in the past from artists (both LDS and of other faiths) who may have depicted a scene with some doctrinal or historical inconsistencies. To innocently expect all images in Church publications to be doctrinally and historically accurate creates problems and confusion both for the viewer and the Church—such as when Church magazines photoshopped one of Carl Bloch’s Resurrection images in the December 2011 Ensign (digitally removing the wings from the angels and capping their clothing to cover their exposed shoulders) to per- haps try and better match LDS doctrines and standards.26 Understanding the language of art removes unnecessary assumptions for both the consumer and producer of art in a Church venue.
Additionally, sometimes the temporal realities of deadlines, resources, time, and money in uence why doctrinally or historically inaccurate images may be created or used in o cial Church outlets. Del Parson said that while understandably “the Church has got to be very careful when they throw an image out there,” some of his paintings were done quickly. “You get a call and they [the Church magazine] need it today,” Del told me, “and so I did the best I could with what I had”27—suggesting that temporal realties some- times in uence how much he can put into creating an image with scriptural, doctrinal, or historical accuracy. Walter Rane said, “If they want it to be historically accurate I’ll do my best. ere have been times with Church history paintings when I was commissioned to do something . . . and I tell them up front I’m not a researcher. I’m not a scholar (at all). erefore I ask them to supply me with information that would help.” Sometimes that is possible, and for some images it simply isn’t. Understanding that each image produced by the Church has artistic and temporal factors that sometimes in uence the images they use and produce should in uence how we, as teachers and learners, should see and use those images. We would do well to remember that o cial doctrine is proclaimed by prophets, not by painters or printers.