Joseph and Emma
Rose Datoc Dall (1968– )
- Medium
United States
ca. 2006
Oil
“This is a close-up portrait of Emma and Joseph Smith. Since so few paintings exist of them together, I took the challenge of creating an image that attempted to reconstruct their likenesses accurately. Furthermore, I wanted them to appear believable and immediate to the viewer by imparting them with their documented, more subtle character traits. Joseph is known to have a benevolent and genial countenance, and Emma is recorded as looking dignified. Both were well known for taking in strangers, and that inviting, approachable aspect is something I wanted to capture. In short, Joseph and Emma are not cold and detached figures from history. They are very real to me, and I hope to create a connection and make them real to the viewer as well.”