Robert Theodore Barrett (born May 13, 1949) is an American painter,

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...

, and professor of illustration at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

. His illustrated works include ''The Story of the Walnut Tree'', ''Silent Night, Holy Night: The Story of the Christmas Truce'', and ''The Nauvoo Temple Stone''. He illustrated a book about President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

, entitled ''Obama: Only in America'' (2010), written by Carole Boston Weatherford.

Career

Barrett holds a BFA degree from the

University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...

, and an MA and MFA degree from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

. Barrett studied painting in Europe as the recipient of a German Academic Exchange Grant to study at the

Berlin University of the Arts The Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK; also known in English as the Berlin University of the Arts), situated in Berlin, Germany, is the second largest art school in Europe. It is a public art and design school, and one of the four research uni ...

, and was an artist-in-residence at the Kimball Art Center as the recipient of a joint grant from

The National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

and the Utah Arts Council. Besides being a professor, he has also served as associate dean of the BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications. Barrett also co-authored a

BYU Studies ''BYU Studies'' is a multidisciplinary academic journal covering a broad array of topics related to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ( Mormon studies). It is published by the church-owned Brigham Young University. The journal is abs ...

article on the lives and art works of

Arnold Friberg Arnold Friberg (December 21, 1913 – July 1, 2010) was an American illustrator and painter noted for his religious and patriotic works. He is perhaps best known for his 1975 painting ''The Prayer at Valley Forge'', a depiction of George Was ...

Harry Anderson Harry Laverne Anderson (October 14, 1952 – April 16, 2018) was an American actor, comedian and magician. He is best known for his role as Judge Harry Stone on the NBC sitcom ''Night Court'' (1984–1992). He later played Dave Barry on the C ...

, Tom Lovell, and Ken Riley with

Susan Easton Black Susan Easton Black (born Susan Lindsay Ward in 1944) is a retired professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. She is also an author of several books related to Joseph Smith and the early history of ...

. He is a member of the

Society of Illustrators The Society of Illustrators (SoI) is a professional society based in New York City. It was founded in 1901 to promote the art of illustration and, since 1959, has held an annual exhibition. Since absorbing the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (M ...

and was awarded the 2010 Distinguished Educator in the Arts Award. Barrett has presented one-man art shows, notably at the Springville Art Museum and the St. George Art Museum, among other sites. He has made many drawings, some of which are based on accounts from the

Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, first published in 1830 by Joseph Smith as ''The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi''. The book is one of ...

, and paintings of events in the ministry of

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

as recorded in the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

. He also illustrated ''The Real Story of Creation'' and ''The Real Story of the Flood'', written by Paul L. Maier, a Lutheran pastor and a professor at

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a Public university, public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. B ...

Personal life

Barrett is a member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

, and served a

Mormon mission Missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)—often referred to as Mormon missionaries—are volunteer representatives of the church who engage variously in Proselytism, proselytizing, church service, humanitaria ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Barrett and his wife Vicki are the parents of ten children.

Selected books

* ''The Story of the Walnut Tree'' (2000) * ''The Nauvoo Temple Stone'' (2002) * ''Silent Night, Holy Night: The Story of the Christmas Truce'' (2003) * ''The Real Story of the Creation'' (2007) * ''The Real Story of the Flood'' (2008) * ''Obama: Only in America'' (2010) * ''Michelle Obama: First Lady'' (2010) * ''Christmas from Heaven: The True Story of the Berlin Candy Bomber'' (2013)

References

External links

*
Society of Illustrators profile

Ask Art profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barrett, Robert T. 1949 births American illustrators Latter Day Saints from Iowa Brigham Young University faculty University of Iowa alumni Place of birth missing (living people) University of Utah alumni Living people American Mormon missionaries in Germany 20th-century Mormon missionaries Latter Day Saints from Utah Berlin University of the Arts alumni