Martha M. Beddoes and Dr. Martha Peacock, Art History and Curatorial Studies

Torlief S. Knaphus was born in Vats, Stavanger, Norway in 1882. Throughout his childhood and teenage years, Torlief showed artistic promise in his whittling and painting. He had a deep love for the beauty and divinity in nature and wished to capture this beauty in painting. Through his teenage years, Torlief became a sailor and studied art in Oslo. While in Oslo, he came in contact with some missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and was converted. His love for art then took second place to his love of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He proclaimed this gospel to all who would listen, including his brother Andrew. In 1906 Torlief immigrated to the United States and moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. There he hoped to support himself by working as an artist, but the first job he could find was work in the steel factory. He worked there and did some apprentice work for local artists before he was able to return to painting and sculpting his own themes.

In 1908, Torlief met and married Emilie Christensen. Emilie died at the young age of 38, leaving Torlief to care for their eight children alone. In 1940, he married my grandmother Rebecca Marie Jacobson, and had six more children. He worked as an artist well into his eighties to support his large family.

In my project, I have sought to locate and photograph all of Torlief Knaphus’ artworks, and collect information pertaining to Knaphus’ life.

I have spoken with the living members of Torlief’s immediate family (his second wife, and his 11 living children) and have researched LDS church historical sites around the Salt Lake valley to try to understand his work and life better. Each of his living children has a small collections of painting and sculpture, and many stories about life with Torlief.

Torlief created several large sculptures and plaster plaques for commissioned by the LDS church. He sculpted the Handcart Monument at Temple Square, SLC; The Hill Cumorah Monument in Palmyra NY; a sculpture of Joseph Receiving the Plates, Woodscross, UT; portrait busts of some of the presidents of the Church; frieze sculptures for the Mesa, Arizona Temple; Jesus at the Well plaque for the Cardsden, Alberta Temple (also in the Provo temple and at the Edgehill Ward chapel); and he created many plaques for LDS ward houses in the Salt Lake valley.

Some sculptures were commissioned by private individuals or simply Torlief’s own creations such as: portrait busts of Simon Bamburger and his son T.M, Joy of the Hills, Pioneer Man and Woman, the Children’s monument at the Salt Lake City and County building, and Asleep.

He also created many paintings. His favorite subjects for painting were nature scenes especially: Zions Canyon (southern Utah), Lambs Canyon (northern Utah), scenes from nature in Norway, Forrest scenes, lake scenes, and beach scenes (from his time spent working on the Hawaii temple). He did do some portraits, sketches, and a scene of the Hawaii temple, but most of his paintings are nature scenes.

Though I believe I have found examples of all of Torlief’s sculptures, I am far from finding all of his paintings. Many times Torlief would pay his family’s bills with artwork. He would paint several different nature scenes and then trade them for dental work, school fees, spare cash, etc. There are many paintings of the same scenes because of this. Though I do not feel that I will find all of Torlief Knaphus’ work, I do feel that the works I have documented represent the general themes and scenes on which he focused.

I have compiled the photographs I have taken on photo CDs and I plan to write a history of Torlief Knaphus to accompany them. This project has allowed me to meet my grandfather through his art, and through his children’s different conceptions of him.