When LDS artist Ted Gorka decided about five years ago that he wanted to do a painting of Christ blessing little children, he knew it would be an emotionally demanding experience.
It proved to be as demanding as he expected, but at the same time, spiritually rewarding for Brother Gorka, who donated the painting to the Church. He has given five previous works to the Church, said Betty Perry, regional public communications director, including one of Joseph Smith that has hung in the lobby of the Church Office Building in Salt Lake City.For the painting of Christ blessing the children, Brother Gorka, a member of the Columbia 1st Ward, used 26 Primary children from the ward as models, according to Deborah H. Robinson, a ward member.
"The model for Jesus was Elder Michael Moore, Brother and Sister Gorka's grandson, who is now serving a mission in Lisbon, Portugal," Sister Robinson noted.
"As I assembled the children in my studio for model photographs, they were caught up into the spirit of the occasion," the artist related. "No one could ask a child to act out the reactions they had and the expressions they voluntarily revealed. I took many dozens of model shots.
"The very essence and core of what I wanted to picture comes from a passage of scripture."
The scripture to which he referred is Moroni 8:10, "Behold I say unto you that this thing shall ye teach - repentance and baptism unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin; yea, teach parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as their little children, and they shall all be saved with their little children."
Brother Gorka affirmed that the painting has prompted a greater emotional reaction from viewers than any he has done. Its title, "Renewal of Innocence," was suggested by a member of the Council of the Twelve, Sister Robinson said.
The painting was unveiled at a meeting of Church members and friends Sept. 16 at the Columbia South Carolina Stake Center. Sister Robinson said the meeting included two musical numbers from the ward Primary. In a special presentation, the children who were models for the painting sang "I'm Trying To Be Like Jesus," and then each received a copy of the picture.
"The children love to pick out themselves and their friends, and love especially to look at Jesus," Sister Robinson said.
Sister Perry said the painting now hangs in the foyer of the stake center.
Brother Gorka's first painting with an LDS subject was completed in 1980. Titled "Joseph Smith in Nauvoo, 1840," it depicts the Prophet in an informal setting, having taken a break from chopping wood to converse with Porter Rockwell and other friends.
That painting was presented to President Spencer W. Kimball on May 23, 1980, and was placed on display in the lobby of the Church Office Building. (See Church News, May 31, 1980.) It hung there for several years.
When he did the Joseph Smith painting, Brother Gorka was not yet a member of the Church, although he had married Beverly Thornton, an LDS widow. Not long after he finished the painting, Brother Gorka was baptized into the Church.
"Brother Gorka is an accomplished artist who emulates purity and humility in both his life and his outstanding work," said Sister Perry, a personal friend. She said he is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art and is known throughout the United States and the world.
