John Hafen: Utah's Poet Painter

In his short life as an artist, John Hafen (1856–1910) earned the title of Utah’s “poet painter.” He was a Latter-day Saint artist in a philosophical and evangelical sense, although he was not a painter of Christian genre, themes, or content. Rather, he searched for the universal and eternal beauty underlying the mountains and rural nature. While he vigorously eschewed commercialism in art, because of dire poverty and a large family (10 children) he was continually “forced” to paint quick pictures for the trade just to get by from day to day. But taken all together, he was still the clearest voice of the aesthetic conscience of Utah fine art in his day. His capo d’opera was the equal of the best Utah artists and fared well nationally. His contributions to Utah art were profound and long-lasting. He was the instigator of the Paris art mission and the lead painter of the murals in the Salt Lake Temple. He began the art department at Brigham Young Academy (now BYU), was president of the Utah Art Institute, and cofounded the Springville Museum of Art. Because of the lyrical nature of his landscapes and the poignancy of his short life and career, John Hafen is remembered as Utah’s “poet painter.”