Christ-centered paintings were commissioned by The First Presidency
Just in time for the Easter season, a pair of new Christ-focused paintings by two BYU alums are on display in the Reflection Room at the BYU Wilkinson Student Center, located just behind the East Lounge near the ballroom.
Commissioned months ago by The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the works — “An Invitation” by Stacy Minch and “In Gethsemane” by Brian Call — depict sacred events leading to Easter Sunday: the Triumphal Entry and the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. The paintings invite viewers to reflect deeply on Christ’s divine love and complement the Church of Jesus Christ’s 2026 Easter theme, Celebrate His Greater Love for You.
A documentary about the paintings and artists, “Behold Him: New Visions of the Living Christ," will be published Easter weekend on the Church’s YouTube channel and will also air on BYUtv and KSL. Here's a little more background on each of the works and the artists behind them.
“In Gethsemane” (Brian Call)
“In Gethsemane” depicts Jesus Christ during his greatest anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane as he took on the weight of human sin and sorrow. The painting evokes both suffering and glory — deep-night lighting, cragged olive trees, stony ground, and Christ’s body and face angled to heavenly light and strength, his hand over his chest in supplication. Streams of light envelop him, speaking to heavenly help, the coming resurrection and triumphal return to Heavenly Father.
“I could never have done this project without Heavenly Father,” said Call, who graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in illustration from BYU in 1996, under the influence of Ralph Barksdale. “Heavenly Father has a way of leading me and moving things around on the canvas; I saw his hand from the very start. He let me wreck it a couple of times and then helped me fix it. I did see his hand through it all.”
Call, a professional illustrator who teaches art at BYU-Idaho, counsels young adults to allow Heavenly Father to work with them in their careers.
“If he is helping you, there’s no reason to fear,” Call said. “Just keep moving and, somehow, it always works out; he lets you learn, but he helps you solve the problems.”
“An Invitation” (Stacy Minch)
“An Invitation” depicts Jesus Christ on the Mount of Olives as he begins his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. The painting is bright and inviting. Christ lightly holds the lead rope to the donkey and colt that he had requested from his disciples. He gestures with his other hand in a welcoming manner. His gaze, directly at the viewer, is accepting and loving. Disciples ahead are descending the path into Jerusalem. A woman turns back to Christ, anticipating him and, perhaps, others to come. Palm leaves and vibrant yellow flowers part the path; light-edged clouds drift over a blue sky with Jerusalem on the horizon, signifying this marvelous moment.
“The intention of the piece is to be an invitation,” said Minch, who studied art at Montana State University as she completed her liberal arts degree and then went on to graduate with a Master of Science in communication disorders from BYU in 2009. Returning to art a few years later, she studied for three years at Ryan Brown’s former art atelier in Springville, Utah.
“Sometimes it’s difficult to feel like we belong; sometimes it feels like there is a certain type of person or a certain type of personality that is the right human being,” Minch said. “When I imagine my relationship with Christ and his message — while he was on the earth and everywhere that we hear his voice — he calls all people to come to him; he accepts all people.”
Minch encourages others to embrace their creativity. “If you have an artistic drive in your soul, you can’t suppress it for too long without it affecting your contentment and mental health,” Minch said. “It’s a part of you.”
