By: Deborah Odette
The beautiful fresco surrounding the High Altar was created by artist Katherine McEwan, who worked closely with the Booths on its design. Creating the design and applying the fresco to the wall took nearly three years to complete.
Fresco painting is an ancient technique that involves mixing pigments in water and then applying them to a wall covered with a special, damp plaster. As the plaster dries, the pigments become embedded in the wall. As a result, frescos are very durable, and can remain unfaded for centuries. Our own fresco has survived intact for nearly 100 years.
However, all works of art need periodic care. Our fresco has never been cleaned, and nearly 100 years of dust now dims its surfaces. Further, candle soot above the candelabra on either side of the High Altar has accumulated in recent years.
To address these concerns, Christ Church Cranbrook has engaged a professional art restoration firm. They will use a nonaqueous method throughout, and will also treat some small losses with inpainting. Scaffolding is being installed around the fresco for the restorers. The restoration work will begin on the Fresco on January 20 and take a few weeks to complete. When they are finished, we will see a remarkable change in the fresco’s appearance, and be able to enjoy and appreciate it as it was intended to be seen.
Fresco was a technique often used in medieval churches. At a time when the laity could not read, they learned about their faith visually, by contemplating images in carvings, stained glass, and frescos. Like them, we are blessed to be surrounded in our church by remarkable works of art which inform, remind, and inspire us. May the restored fresco be an inspiration and a blessing for all of us.
Excellent article. Once you see the soot above the candelabra, you can’t stop seeing it. Soon we are going to see the fresh and vibrant colors that no one has seen for a century!
Thank you ao much for the excellent article, Deborah! I think that it might be important to note that experts from the DIA have done many important restorations to the fresco in recent years, sometimes using instruments that measure colors, and sometimes just by eye. We owe them many thanks for their talents and work.
I know we had the fresco retouched within the past 8 to 10 years, coinciding with when I was on artworks. Thanks Leslie for reminding us that it hasn’t been completely left to time.
Thank you, Deborah, for sharing, with our whole congregation, the interesting information regarding our beloved fresco!