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 complicat ...

, and professor of illustration at

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 ...

. 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 served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

, entitled ''Obama: Only in America'' (2010), written by

Carole Boston Weatherford Carole Boston Weatherford is an African-American author and critic, now living in North Carolina, United States. She is the winner of the 2022 Coretta Scott King Award for ''Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre.'' She writes children's literatur ...

Career

Barrett holds a BFA degree from the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

, and an MA and MFA degree from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply 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 org ...

. 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 largest art school in Europe. It is a public art and design school, and one of the four research universiti ...

, 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 federal ...

and the

Utah Arts Council 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 ...

. Besides being a professor, he has also served as associate dean of the

BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications The BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications (CFAC) is one of nine colleges at Brigham Young University, a private university operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and located in Provo, Utah. Founded in 1925, the college ...

. Barrett also co-authored a

BYU Studies ''BYU Studies Quarterly'' is an 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 abstracted ...

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 W ...

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 of Judge Harry Stone on the 1984–1992 television series '' Night Court''. He later starred in the ...

, 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 t ...

. He is a member of the

Society of Illustrators The Society of Illustrators 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. History Founding The Society of Illustrators was founded on ...

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, 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 ...

, and paintings of events in the ministry of

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

as recorded in the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

. He also illustrated ''The Real Story of Creation'' and ''The Real Story of the Flood'', written by

Paul L. Maier Paul L. Maier (born May 31, 1930) is a historian and novelist. He has written several works of scholarly and popular non-fiction about Christianity and novels about Christian historians. He is the former Russell H. Seibert Professor of Ancient H ...

, a Lutheran pastor and a professor at

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...

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 Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

, and served a

Mormon mission Missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)—widely known as Mormon missionaries—are volunteer representatives of the church who engage variously in proselytizing, church service, humanitarian aid, and commu ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. 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 profileAsk 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