SK, Leonardo and Me - Artists One and All

The weather report predicted snow today!  We have been excited all week for that white fuzzy stuff falling here.  Alas!  The temperature never got below 41.  It has been beautiful, but it hasn't snowed.

We prepared a short testimony with a picture of ourselves for the missionaries to post on their Facebook page.  They are so cute.  They post some great pictures and videos.  They are such great young women.  Writing the testimony took some thought and I sat at the computer for awhile thinking about it and typing and retyping.

The funny part was taking a selfie of us!  I wanted it to be somewhat circumspect, solemn enough for the occasion.  However, SK thought it was a time to make me laugh....and he did.  We tried for a half hour to get serious and take a proper photo.  I propped the phone up on the table, set the timer and hurried over to SK by the tree.  He wanted me to submit this one, but (don't tell SK) I sent one that was a little more solemn.


I've been reading the New Testament along with the Book of Mormon to prepare for the mission Christmas Conference in a couple of weeks.  Dave and Deb asked me to give "Faces of Christ" again this year.  They have high hopes of assembling everyone in Hyde Park Chapel together.  There is talk that there will be a 5 day moratorium on restrictions, just for Christmas.  I don't know if it will happen.  He said to be ready to give it over Zoom if we can't all get together,  I have my doubts about how it would come across on Zoom.  I really count on the spirit to teach....I just show the pictures.  In a church setting or a small intimate setting it feels right.  We'll see what happens.

In my research, I came across two more paintings that I really must use, but I am not sure I can fit it in.  One of them is "Salvator Mundi" by Leonardo DaVinci.  It was thought to be destroyed or permanently missing, until it showed up on auction in Louisiana about 50 or 60 years ago.  The man from New York who purchased it for $10,000 thought that underneath some dreadful touch-ups there might be a decent copy of DaVinci's work done by one of his assistants.  They took it back to New York and turned it over to one of the most respected art conservators in the world.  

I am unsure how long she worked on it, but after awhile, it became obvious that she was working with a real DaVinci.  In 2017, it sold at auction for $400,000,000!  That is 400 million dollars.  Since that time, I understand that it was sold for $50,000,000 more than that to someone in the middle east and is now residing at the Louvre in Dubai.  But no one has really seen it, so who knows where it is now?



It is early, but I'm going to bed now so that we can get up at 2 a.m. to watch the live Millennial Choir and Orchestra concert.  Hope you get to watch too!

Comments

melissa said…
I like the photo of you laughing. And what a story about the painting. I hope you enjoyed the concert and then got to go back to sleep!!
December 5, 2020 at 12:28 AM
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