And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of praying unto the Father, he arose; but so great was the joy of the multitude that they were overcome.
And it came to pass that Jesus spake unto them, and bade them arise.
And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full.
And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.
The story behind One By One
Many portrayals of the Savior's ancient American ministry put the multitude in the painting in such a way that the viewer is somewhere in the throng looking on, sometimes from a great distance. Such paintings provide important viewer experiences concerning the Savior's ministry. Paintings in this series, however, have thus far not only put the viewer in the multitude, but have sought to express the desire of both the Savior and the viewer to have an intensely personal experience notwithstanding the multitude. As a result, these paintings tend to focus on the sacredness and thus the privacy of the experiences that were part of His ministry.
We are also told that He took the children one by one, focusing His complete attention upon each infant. And while He had them in His keeping, He did two things: He blessed them and prayed for them.
Having blessed the children, why did He also pray for them? Perhaps the prayer was as much for the benefit of the parents as for the child; perhaps by praying for the children in the presence of their parents, He was teaching the parents how they ought to pray in behalf of their little ones.
Symbolism in One By One
The Savior—in word, in deed, in every way—dwells above the darkness. He is the light of the world. When He came to the inhabitants of ancient America, He brought that light with Him. In this painting, He looks toward those who dwell in darkness beneath the storm clouds at the bottom of the painting. His countenance is the countenance of peace. He takes no pleasure in the soul that suffers, nor in the misery of anyone who perishes. He searches for those who need the light and life He alone can give.
In all the moments of our travail in the darkness by which we are so often surrounded in this world, He alone fills the heaven of our hope. As we suffer, the expansiveness of our own horizon shrinks until it narrows almost to the snuffing point at which the wick of our souls expires. This is a painting not only of the moment during which His voice was heard by all the inhabitants of the land; it is the moment in any of our lives when hope is all but gone.
The Messiah is the truth of all things.
Curatorial Details
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© By Al Young, All Rights Reserved. You may not print, copy, or reproduce this artwork or make derivative works from it without the prior written consent of the copyright holder. For permissions, please review our FAQ page.From the Newsroom
By Al R. Young
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We have framed our own artworks for more than 30 years, and during that time we have provided a variety of framing services to patrons upon request. For many reasons—including constant changes in the availability of moulding styles—we cannot offer off-the-shelf framing options or response times typically associated with such a service. Of necessity, all of our framing projects are aproached, priced, and billed as constuling projects... Read more »
Tags: Into The West, Spring Rain, North Country, The Grey Havens, Journey's End, Looking Back, Enchanted Stillness, Bedtime Story, In The High Valley, The Daydream, Before The Ball, Old Shannon, Pavane, Sweet Brier, Legend, Mountain Home, And I...
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2021 October 13... Read more »
Tags: One By One, 2021, Oil paintings and prints
By Al R. Young
the story in this painting
the creation of this paintingOriginal artworks produced by the Artists of Al Young Studios are part of themed collections because the Studios is organized after the pattern of the Renaissance workshops of the old masters. The Artists take the long view of their work as being a lifetime journey toward mastery of artistic expression through selected techniques, reaching as far back as the 16th century. Artists work as peers in an intensely creative community in which each artist pursues his or her own work as part of the group's philosophy... Read more »
Tags: One By One, 2020, Exhibits
By Al R. Young This blank-book journal sells for $32 (plus shipping) direct from Al Young Studios. Printed in full color on heavy paper, the book is bound with black plastic spiral to rest flat when open.
At Home: A Personal Journal features 128 original artworks consisting of 51 original oil paintings from the Artists of Al Young Studios, 44 images from the Studios' Limited Editions Collection, nine pen and ink drawings and block prints by Ashton, seven of Al's exquisitely crafted pencil drawings, and one lithograph from his private portfolios... Read more »
Tags: North Shore, Nasturtium, Wald Kirche, Scabiosa, Foxglove, Narcissus on beige paper, July, Columbine, Maine, Final Draft, Unfurling, Back Shore, Summer's End, Gifts of Morn, Black-eyed Susan, Land's End, Solitude, The Limberlost, Perdita,
By Al R. Young This blank-book journal sells for $32 (plus shipping) direct from Al Young Studios. Printed in full color on heavy paper, the book is bound with black plastic spiral to rest flat when open.
Inspirations features 163 artworks along with 53 commentaries—written by the Artists of Al Young Studios especially for this journal—on such topics as their creative process, the creative environment of the Studios, technical approaches to their artwork, and inspiration from the works of other artists... Read more »
Tags: Untitled, In the Clearing, Anne Girl, Spring Rain, Journey's End, Enchanted Stillness, Bedtime Story, In The High Valley, Mountain Home, And I Will Not Deny The Christ, Sara Crewe, And My Soul Hungered, 3.00.0246.010, The Road To Melek, We...
By Al R. Young The 2011 Calendar: Women of the New Testament, published by Deseret Book, featured 13 original oil paintings from Al Young Studios, ten by Elspeth Young and three by Al R. Young. Twelve of the paintings are part of Al Young Studios' Women of the Bible Fine Art Collection. One painting is part of The Messiah Collection.
Commentaries (in the calendar) accompanying each painting provide a reference passage from the Bible, a summary of the character featured in the painting, and an artist's commentary concerning the painting itself... Read more »
Tags: I Shall Be Whole, One By One, The Windows Of Heaven, Living Water, The Substance Of Hope, Forsaking All, Blessed Is She That Believed, As It Began To Dawn, According To Thy Word, She Worketh Willingly With Her Hands, And Martha Served, She...
By Al R. Young
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The original image is available for sale, please contact us for details... Read more »
Tags: One By One, 2010, Book of Mormon characters
By Al R. Young One By One is the newest oil painting to be added to the line of original artworks from Al Young Studios.
Click here to see a larger image of the new painting, read the artist's commentary, and look at the selection of prints--if any are available.... Read more »
Tags: One By One, 2010, Al R. Young, Heroes of the Book of Mormon Art Collection, Legacy, News, Oil paintings and prints, The Messiah Art Collection