Utah-based artist and member of the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints, John Darley told The Epoch Times that he often ponders: “If the second coming of Jesus Christ occurred today, where would I go, and how would I react?”
When Christ returns, Darley wants his loved ones close to share the wonder and express his heartfelt feelings. He imagines he’d run a gamut of emotions: “excitement, fear, shame, wonder, joy, and above all, hope.” “In that moment, I would hope for the opportunity to reach for solace from the world’s turmoil, and the promise of peace and renewal,” he said.
Darley’s Vision
In Darley’s “The Second Coming of Christ,” Christ’s divine light floods the mountain valley, announcing his descent. He appears as a dot, surrounded by a halo and then an outer ring of light called a mandorla. Throughout history, these motifs have symbolized a holy being. Light pours down from the mandorla like a portal from heaven.A small crop of lilies symbolizes the scene’s spiritual purity, a historic motif that often alludes to the Virgin Mary.
Painting Christ’s Return
The Bible (Acts 1: 11) says that Christ will return in the same way of his ascension, known as the transfiguration. Centuries of artists have depicted the transfiguration as it’s described in The New Testament.
Darley sought inspiration from artists he admires, especially Carl Bloch (1834–90), Alphose Mucha (1860–1939), Arnold Friberg (1913–2010), Albert Bierstadt (1830–1902), and Andrew Wyeth (1917–2009). “The close observer will see the influence of all these artists in the painting,” he said.
Darley wanted to show people with their friends and loved ones at this auspicious moment. He created the intimate scene with egg tempera (pigment mixed with egg and water), using a limited palette in titanium white, bone black, ultramarine blue, lemon yellow, and alizarin crimson.
His son Jack is the only close family member featured in the painting; the rest of the models are family, friends, or friends of friends. Some of Darley’s figures came from studio models, others from photo references, and some even from his sculptures. He often melded references together to make a figure. For example, for one figure he used the body of one model and the face or hand of another. “The challenge with this approach is making it all cohesive, atmospheric, and digestible; because you are not just replacing one single [figure or landscape] reference, you are sewing together many different moments,” he said.
Darley referenced some of the landscape from one of his paintings and also the rocks near Frary Peak on Antelope Island, Utah. He also included the mountains near his home, not for prophetic purposes, but, in tumultuous times, it’s where he seeks solace and finds “protection and revelation.”
For millennia, artists have painted to uplift and guide humanity—Darley continues this tradition. He hopes “The Second Coming of Christ” painting invites people to reflect on “the absolute and final moments that we will all eventually face in this life.” He also hopes it reminds everyone that there are people today who believe in God and the second coming of Christ the Savior.
