John B. Fairbanks (December 27, 1855, in
Payson, Utah
Payson is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 21,101 at the 2020 census.
History
Pioneers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints led by Jam ...
– June 15, 1940, in
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
) was an American landscape painter. In 1890, he was one of a group of artists who studied in Paris under the sponsorship 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 Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
(LDS Church), in preparation for painting
mural
A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage.
Word mural in art
The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...
s at the nearly completed
Salt Lake Temple
The Salt Lake Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. At , it is the largest Latter-day Saint temple by floor area. Dedicated in 1893, it is the sixth temple ...
. He painted murals in the Salt Lake Temple and the
Mesa Arizona Temple
The Mesa Arizona Temple (formerly the Arizona Temple; nicknamed the ''Lamanite Temple'') is the seventh operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Located in the city of Mesa, Arizona, it is the first of s ...
that still exist today. Fairbanks was the official photographer for the South American expeditions of
Benjamin Cluff
Benjamin Cluff Jr. (February 7, 1858 – June 14, 1948) was the first president of Brigham Young University and its third principal. Under his administration, the student body and faculty more than doubled in size, and the school went from an acade ...
. Fairbanks was the first artist to live and paint in
Zion National Park
Zion National Park is an American national park located in southwestern Utah near the town of Springdale. Located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert regions, the park has a unique geography and a variety ...
. He was an early art instructor at Brigham Young Academy and was one of the founding members of the Utah Art Institute. Fairbanks was the father of sculptor
Avard Fairbanks
Avard Tennyson Fairbanks (March 2, 1897 – January 1, 1987) was a 20th-century American sculptor. Over his eighty-year career, he sculpted over 100 public monuments and hundreds of artworks. Fairbanks is known for his religious-themed commis ...
.
Biography
Early life
John B. Fairbanks was born on December 27, 1855, in
Payson, Utah
Payson is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 21,101 at the 2020 census.
History
Pioneers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints led by Jam ...
. He was the first Mormon artist born in Utah territory.
His parents were John Boylston Fairbanks and Sarah Van Wagoner.
His father, named John Boylston Fairbanks (1817-1875), was an early pioneer who had come to Utah from the
Winter Quarters in 1847.
His father died from pneumonia on May 14, 1875, leaving Fairbanks to care for the family.
Although he showed an early interest in art, he had no inclination to pursue it as a career until, in 1877, he visited the studios of
John Hafen, an aspiring artist his own age.
Fairbanks would sit in Hafen's studio and watch him paint in between working in the field and playing baseball. He would hide his paintings and other works, because he did not want to disappoint his family. When he eventually showed a finished painting to his mother, she initially did not believe he painted it, but was proud of Fairbanks when his sisters confirmed that he had painted it.
Hafen became his lifelong friend and mentor.
Fairbanks would paint in the evenings and Saturdays.
Missionary service
John B. Fairbanks served as a missionary in the Southern States
Mission
Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to:
Organised activities Religion
*Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity
*Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...
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 Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
(LDS Church) from October 1881 to September 1883.
He assumed he would no longer be able to pursue a painting career.
Fairbanks married Lilly Annetta Huish on June 24, 1877 in Payson.
His paintings were not successful, so he found it necessary to take other work, which ranged from assisting the photographer
George Edward Anderson
George Edward Anderson (October 28, 1860 – May 9, 1928) was an early American photographer known for his portraiture and documentary photographs of early historical sites of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and Utah s ...
to selling newspapers.
He painted furniture in his father-in-law's store.
Additionally, he worked with Hafen to make and sell crayon enlargements of photos.
At the request of Hafen, in 1890, Fairbanks joined Hafen,
Edwin Evans and
Lorus Pratt
Lorus Bishop Pratt (November 27, 1855, Tooele, Utah – December 29, 1923, Salt Lake City) was an American landscape painter and missionary. In 1890, he was one of a group of painters who studied in Paris under the sponsorship of the Church of Jesu ...
to study at the
Académie Julian
The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number a ...
in Paris on a two-year scholarship from the LDS Church.
Their objective was to develop their art skills and techniques in order to design and paint murals for the nearly completed
Salt Lake Temple
The Salt Lake Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. At , it is the largest Latter-day Saint temple by floor area. Dedicated in 1893, it is the sixth temple ...
. Their primary instructor was
Albert Rigolot, and they became known as the "French Art Missionaries".
Fairbanks was the only one of his American colleagues whose art was not accepted in the concours in the first year.
Upon their return, they executed the murals and frescoes for the Salt Lake Temple, which was dedicated in 1893. Years later, he also helped to decorate the
Church Administration Building
The Church Administration Building (CAB) is an administrative office building in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States serving as the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), the fourth-largest Christian denomin ...
and the
Mesa Arizona Temple
The Mesa Arizona Temple (formerly the Arizona Temple; nicknamed the ''Lamanite Temple'') is the seventh operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Located in the city of Mesa, Arizona, it is the first of s ...
.
These temple murals still exist.
Career
After completing murals at the Salt Lake Temple, John B. Fairbanks began teaching one of the first college art classes at Brigham Young Academy (now
BYU
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...
).
He still received little public recognition despite having established a photographic studio and art gallery.
Then, on May 8, 1898, his wife Lillie died from a fall downstairs. She had been carrying their baby son and may have sacrificed herself to save him. The boy,
Avard, suffered no serious injuries and grew up to be a well-known sculptor.
After the death of his wife, Fairbanks moved his family to Ogden, Utah and became the first supervisor in Ogden public schools.
In 1902, struggling to support his seven children, he accepted an offer of employment from
Benjamin Cluff
Benjamin Cluff Jr. (February 7, 1858 – June 14, 1948) was the first president of Brigham Young University and its third principal. Under his administration, the student body and faculty more than doubled in size, and the school went from an acade ...
to make sketches and photographs on his archaeological expedition to Latin America. There, they intended to discover evidence for the
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude date ...
.
Fairbanks moved his family to Alberta, Canada to run a farm, but returned to Salt Lake City due to droughts and difficult winters.
Back in Salt Lake City, Fairbanks resumed painting, giving private art lessons and running a small farm to provide for his family.
Fairbanks spent time in New York City where he made copies of art pieces from the Metropolitan Museum to sell. Avard Fairbanks joined his father to copy pieces soon after.
Fairbanks helped his son cultivate his work and develop his technique, hoping Avard would be able to achieve a level of success that he had not.
They returned to Salt Lake City after commissions and finances dwindled.
In 1914, Fairbanks accompanied Avard to Paris where he was to study at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts. Here, Fairbanks studied privately.
During the late 1910s, Fairbanks traveled to
Zion National Park
Zion National Park is an American national park located in southwestern Utah near the town of Springdale. Located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert regions, the park has a unique geography and a variety ...
to paint. During this time, he created more artworks in this area than any other artist. Additionally, he was the first artist to live and paint in Zion National Park.
In 1917, while painting there, he met his second wife, Florence Gifford, who was almost forty years his junior.
They married on September 21, 1917 in Salt Lake City and eventually had five more children.
Neither his art nor his teaching was financially successful, so he supplemented his income by running a photography studio with his oldest son, J. Leo Fairbanks.
He was one of the founding members of the Utah Art Institute (now the
Utah Division of Arts and Museums
The Utah Division of Arts & Museums is a state government agency responsible for the promotion of arts and museums in Utah. It is a division of the Utah Department of Heritage and Arts. It includes the Utah Office of Museum Services and the Utah A ...
).
In 1933, Fairbanks and his sons created the Mormon display to tell the story of Mormonism through art for the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Avard sculpted, J. Leo created stained glass, and Fairbanks painted.
Although he painted until the very last days of his life, he never achieved wide recognition.
Fairbanks died on June 15, 1940 at the age of 84 from recurring kidney stones.
Style
John B. Fairbanks received art training in Paris, yet his landscape paintings have a distinct Utah style.
He used "soft and rustic naturalistic impressionism" in his paintings.
Children
John B. Fairbanks had eleven children with Lillie Huish among whom were
Avard Fairbanks
Avard Tennyson Fairbanks (March 2, 1897 – January 1, 1987) was a 20th-century American sculptor. Over his eighty-year career, he sculpted over 100 public monuments and hundreds of artworks. Fairbanks is known for his religious-themed commis ...
and J. Leo Fairbanks. With Florence Gifford, he had five children.
References
External links
Portrait of his mother@
FamilySearch
FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization and website offering genealogical records, education, and software. It is operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and is closely connected with the church's Family Histo ...
NWDA Inventory of the John B. Fairbanks papers.
John B. Fairbanks diariesfrom a
L. Tom Perry Special Collections Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fairbanks, John B.
1855 births
1940 deaths
People from Payson, Utah
19th-century Mormon missionaries
American artists
American Latter Day Saint artists
Artists from Utah
American Mormon missionaries in the United States
Latter Day Saints from Utah
American expatriates in France
Harold B. Lee Library-related 19th century articles