DOI article:
Parello, Daniel: "From the period of the deepest decline of German ecclesiastical art" - should artistic quality become a criterion for an inventory of stained glass?
DOI Page / Citation link: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.51154#0048
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2. Mayersche Hofkunstanstalt, Christus am Ölberg, Munich, c. 1887, Landshut, St Judoc’s Church. Photo: Wikimedia
Commons, G. Freihalter
the direction for decades. From Munich the studios de-
livered their products throughout Germany and beyond,
thereby spreading the Nazarene style of the ‘Königliche
Glasmalereianstalt’.
It would certainly be wrong to attribute the revival of
glass painting in Germany solely to the reactionary aims
of the Catholic Church. German enthusiasm for their
own cultural heritage first arose from a national move-
ment which was a result of the Napoleonic wars of libera-
tion and extended across broad layers of society. However,
stained glass was of particular importance for the eccle-
siastical movement because, more than any other genre,
it was deeply rooted in the medieval religious context.
Furthermore, it was exclusively associated with sacred
art, and the images served to glorify the faith. After all,
the contemplative effect of luminous colors almost per-
fectly corresponded to the romantic attitude. As redis-
coverers of colour, the Romantics were diametrically op-
posed to the classicists. The Nazarenes resorted to bright
color effects; they even designed their pictures more often
like stained glass with intentionally glowing colors. So it
is easy to understand why glass painting played such an
enormous role in the Catholic movement.
In cooperation with the social and political aims of the
Church, the Nazarenes promoted their childlike works as
means to spread the only true Catholic doctrine’ and even
declared religious functionalization to be the actual goal.
The result was an ideologically more and more overloaded
‘Programmkunst’ [Fig. 5]. They deliberately renounced
the sensual qualities of appearance in favor of a pious ef-
fect. The painting should not seduce, but preach. This al-
ready refers to those qualities for which their products
3. Mount of Olives in different sizes from 70 to 130 fl. in Katalogfür
Statüen aus Steinmassa. Mayersche kgl. privileg. Kunstanstalt plas-
tischer Arbeiten am Stiegelmeierplatz No. 1 in München, Munich,
c. 1870, plate 11. Photo: Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Ba-
var. 5195 h
2. Mayersche Hofkunstanstalt, Christus am Ölberg, Munich, c. 1887, Landshut, St Judoc’s Church. Photo: Wikimedia
Commons, G. Freihalter
the direction for decades. From Munich the studios de-
livered their products throughout Germany and beyond,
thereby spreading the Nazarene style of the ‘Königliche
Glasmalereianstalt’.
It would certainly be wrong to attribute the revival of
glass painting in Germany solely to the reactionary aims
of the Catholic Church. German enthusiasm for their
own cultural heritage first arose from a national move-
ment which was a result of the Napoleonic wars of libera-
tion and extended across broad layers of society. However,
stained glass was of particular importance for the eccle-
siastical movement because, more than any other genre,
it was deeply rooted in the medieval religious context.
Furthermore, it was exclusively associated with sacred
art, and the images served to glorify the faith. After all,
the contemplative effect of luminous colors almost per-
fectly corresponded to the romantic attitude. As redis-
coverers of colour, the Romantics were diametrically op-
posed to the classicists. The Nazarenes resorted to bright
color effects; they even designed their pictures more often
like stained glass with intentionally glowing colors. So it
is easy to understand why glass painting played such an
enormous role in the Catholic movement.
In cooperation with the social and political aims of the
Church, the Nazarenes promoted their childlike works as
means to spread the only true Catholic doctrine’ and even
declared religious functionalization to be the actual goal.
The result was an ideologically more and more overloaded
‘Programmkunst’ [Fig. 5]. They deliberately renounced
the sensual qualities of appearance in favor of a pious ef-
fect. The painting should not seduce, but preach. This al-
ready refers to those qualities for which their products
3. Mount of Olives in different sizes from 70 to 130 fl. in Katalogfür
Statüen aus Steinmassa. Mayersche kgl. privileg. Kunstanstalt plas-
tischer Arbeiten am Stiegelmeierplatz No. 1 in München, Munich,
c. 1870, plate 11. Photo: Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Ba-
var. 5195 h