“Come now let us reason together, saith the Lord” — Isaiah 1:18

All About the Mural:
Artist | Symbolism | Scriptures | Books an Stories | Progress | Coloring Page Download

Michael Lenhardt studied at BYU majoring in illustration and zoology. He painted this mural in the Lee Library in 2002, through an assignment for a children’s illustration course. “His original rough sketch was based on Raphael’s School of Athens and contained a dozen or more widely recognized characters from Curious George to Max and a Wild Thing. As the mural evolved, the use of copyrighted characters was replaced with the artist’s own depictions of well-loved characters from traditional rhymes, stories, and children’s books and with everyday readers and seekers of knowledge.”

“He asked family and friends to pose for photographs in order to get proper details from muscle extension to drape of cloth. He consulted dozens of books and Internet sources for information on everything from the colors used in Renaissance clothing to the shape and color of a female spotted owl. He hung posters, tree branches, reproductions of master art works, and even a dried banana skin in the studio. He studied the scriptures. He sought advice from other artists, friends, teachers, and librarians. He found inspiration in nature; in the works of Dürer, Michelangelo, Raphael, and others; and in his own contemplation of the impressions this mural would have on those who saw it. During the eight months of painting, Michael explored the concept of sight–different ways of seeing and understanding. The result of the artist’s efforts is a mural layered with meaning.”

Michael is currently a physician in Pleasant Grove, UT.