Birger Sandzén was born February 5, 1871, in Blidsberg, Västergötland, Sweden. His early career as an artist found him training in Stockholm and Paris before he began his teaching career at Bethany College in Lindsborg, KS, in 1894. He died at Lindsborg on June 19, 1954.Although primarily noted for his pointillistic impressionist landscape paintings of the American Rocky Mountains and the Southwest, he also painted post office murals through the WPA and between 1904 and 1930, he painted several religiously-themed works including altar paintings. One of these, Christ saving Peter on the Sea of Galilee, adorns our altar at Immanuel. We are celebrating the 100th anniversary of this Sandzen work this year.
Altar paintings by the Lindsborg artist are found in Lutheran churches with Swedish antecedents in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois and South Dakota as well as in Sweden. Perhaps the best known are the two large paintings in the Bethany Lutheran Church in Lindsborg and the three large panels in the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Salina, KS.
In 1904, Mr. and Mrs. Philip Swanson donated an altar painting in the Westlanda Evangelical Lutheran Church in memory of their twin children who had not lived. In 1905, Sandzén rendered the painting and in June of that year, the painting was unveiled at services at Westlanda with several area ministers present and the church filled to capacity.
A similar but smaller altar painting…Kristus och Petrus (Christ and Peter) is mentioned in a letter from Sandzén to his father dated 1901, and this smaller work is part of the Sandzen collection at the historic Bethany Lutheran Church at Lindsborg.
In 1952, ground was broken for our present church building and in 1953, the altar painting was moved from the old church across the street to the new Immanuel Church. The birch frame for the altar painting was donated by Mr. and Mrs. Gunnar Erickson and their daughter Ruth in memory of daughter and sister Britta Jane.
The theme of the painting is taken from Matthew 14:22-33…
22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.
23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,
24 but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them.
25 And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea.
26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear.
27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”
28 Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus.
30 But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
