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Josefskapelle, Düsseldorf, ceiling fresco

Posted by MadScientist (Düsseldorf, Germany) on 18 October 2008 in Art & Design.

The ceiling fresco of the Josefskapelle certainly has a Baroque impression, but it is in fact a completely new design. When the original ceiling of the chapel was destroyed in WW II, the new ceiling had no fresco at all. Only in 1990 this new fresco has been done; it is a new design that doesn't quote the original fresco. (I didn't know this at the time of taking this photo and thought by myself: wow, this Matteo Alberti was in a hurry when he painted this! (Compare this to another Baroque painting like this one.) Then I've learned that it's true Neo-Baroque and now I think it's okay for a painting of 1990 :-)

Something to read for the weekend: the goodbye message of a hedge fund manager (Kudos!), and an eye-opening Guardian article on banker's bonuses and pay deals. (via)

Linerberry from Sumner, Christchurch, New Zealand

Wow ms, a big difference in the two paintings!!! No wonder you were confused...and rightly so my friend:-) Not having to compare now...i really love this for what it is...its quite splendid! Thanks for the reading material:-)

18 Oct 2008 7:29am

@Linerberry: In any case it's better than a plain white ceiling. Perhaps a design for that ceiling at your home...? ;-)

JoeB from Brampton, Canada

I've been gone awhile, and I see that things haven't changed that much some are stiill flat on their backs and shooting church ceilings, how refreshing.

18 Oct 2008 4:34pm

@JoeB: Enjoy! These images are recession-proof!

Observing from West Cheshire, United Kingdom

MS, personally I wouldn't call this baroque from any period. The other painting approaches that style somewhat, but not completely. This paintwork with the faux ornate scrolls reminds me of a theatre.

This is by no means critique towards you MS, but towards the style used in the church.

18 Oct 2008 9:07pm

@Observing: No sweat! :-) I think this fresco at least quotes some elements of Baroque painting, but it's an obvious quotation, as the style is quite flat and naive. I've not been able to find more information on this, but Düsseldorf's academy of fine arts is just a few meters away and I imagine some art students having done this job.
This is by no means critique towards you MS: don't be shy, give it to me straight! ;-)

Laurent from Lyon, France

what ever the artist and the century are, this painting seems quite ok to me.

20 Oct 2008 7:47pm

@Laurent: I think that too. The quite small chapel and its modest decor build a harmonic entity.

Twelvebit from Victoria, United States

I'm not a particular fan of religious art, but I can appreciate the craftsmanship, and this one lacks the majesty of what would have been painted "in the day."

23 Oct 2008 3:50pm

@Twelvebit: It's a bit flat, indeed. And the symbols are quite easy to decipher. But I think that it is okay for this small church.

Twelvebit from Victoria, United States

In fact, this strikes me as something like the cartoon that would have initially been painted by an artist like Michelangelo.

23 Oct 2008 3:52pm

@Twelvebit: Yes, it's a bit sketchy, but alone the fact that it's painted in 1991 makes it unique. (Quite seldom even here.)