Warner Sallman

Warner Elias Sallman (April 30, 1892 – May 25, 1968) was an American painter from Chicago best known for his works of Christian religious imagery. He also worked in commercial advertising, as well as in freelance illustration. He is most associated with his portrait of Jesus, '' Head of Christ,'' of which more than 500 million copies have been sold.''Have You Seen This Man?''
Art, ''Newsweek'', July 2/July 9, 2007, p. 68 (The brief column replied to the title-question by saying ''"Probably, and looking exactly like this. Warner Sallman's 1940 oil painting ''The Head of Christ'' is believed to be the most reproduced religious work of art. ]It's been copied a billion times, if you include lamps, clocks and calendars."'') In 1994, ''The New York Times'' wrote that he was likely to be voted the "best-known artist of the century".

Biography

Warner Elias Sallman was born on April 30, 1892. He was the eldest of three children born to Elias Sallman and Christiane (Larson) Sallman who were immigrants from Finland and Sweden. He was trained in art by apprenticing in local studios while attending the Chicago Art Institute at night. There he became a protégé of Walter Marshall Cluett, a newspaper illustrator noted for his work during the Spanish–American War. He was initially affiliated with local studios until he opened his own. In 1916, he married Ruth Anderson, whom he met while both were singing in the church choir.

Sallman was a lifelong member of the Swedish Evangelical Mission Covenant of America (now the Evangelical Covenant Church), an Evangelical Protestant denomination.''The Face That's Everywhere''
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Warner died on May 25, 1968, at the age of 76.

Paintings

Sallman is best known for his '' Head of Christ'', which was painted in 1940. Over 500 million copies have been sold, and are used in churches of several Christian denominations, as well as for private devotional use.

Sallman is also well known for his rendition of the popular image ''Christ at Heart's Door''. Other popular images produced from 1942 to 1950 include ''Christ in Gethsemane'', ''The Lord is My Shepherd'', and ''Christ Our Pilot''.

A vast collection of his original works, including ''Head of Christ'', is owned by Anderson University (Indiana), Anderson University. Warner Press, the publishing arm of the Church of God (Anderson), Church of God in Anderson, Indiana, holds the copyright and distribution rights to all Warner Sallman images.

Sallman also created a lesser-known work called ''The Ascension of Christ''. This painting, which is owned by and located at the First Covenant Church in Iron Mountain, Michigan, measures 20 feet wide by 23 feet high. The painting was done in one of the large meeting rooms on the campus of North Park University, North Park College (now University) in Chicago and shipped in two large rolls to Iron Mountain, where it was installed by the men of the church on the wall above the choir loft. Sallman came to Iron Mountain to put finishing touches on the painting and attend the dedication at First Covenant Church in May, 1952. It is believed to be the largest painting done by the artist.

Sallman named the eleven apostles in the painting (from left to right) James, the lesser; Philip; Matthew; Thaddeus; James, the elder, son of Zebedee; Thomas, the doubter; John, brother of James; Andrew, brother of Simon Peter; Simon Peter, now shepherd of the flock; Simon, the Zealot; Bartholomew. The full figure of Christ can be seen from any elevation when entering the church.(125th Anniversary 1882–2007, First Covenant Church of Iron Mountain, Michigan. Booklet)

Related reading

* Lundbom, Jack R (2015) ''Master Painter: Warner E. Sallman'' (Wipf and Stock; Eugene, Oregon)
* Morgan, David (1996) ''Icons of American Protestantism: The Art of Warner Sallman'' (Yale University Press)
* Peterson, Sylvia E and Warner Sallman ''Story of Sallman's The Lord's Supper'' (Kriebel & Bates/Prt by Warner Press. 1950)

See also

* Heinrich Hofmann (painter), Heinrich Hofmann

References

External links

Warner E. Sallman Art Collection, Inc.

Warner Sallman artwork, Warner Press

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sallman, Warner
1892 births
1968 deaths
20th-century American illustrators
20th-century American male artists
20th-century American painters
20th-century evangelicals
American evangelicals
American male painters
American people of Finnish descent
American people of Swedish descent
Painters from Chicago
School of the Art Institute of Chicago alumni