Art
New windows in Caspar David Friedrich’s baptismal church
Greifswald Cathedral now has a group of windows redesigned by Ólafur Elíasson. photo
© Bernd Wüstneck/dpa
In the baptismal church of the famous romantic Caspar David Friedrich, new church windows create a special atmosphere. It was created by Ólafur Elíasson with colors by Friedrich.
3383 mouth-blown panes in 65 colors form the Greifswald baptismal church Caspar David Friedrichs pays a special homage to the romantic painter. These are new stained glass windows in the east choir of St. Nicholas Cathedral, designed by the contemporary artist Ólafur Elíasson. They were shown to journalists on Tuesday.
According to the artist, the color gradient is based on Friedrich’s painting “Hutten’s Grave” and bathes the building in a warm light. This year, many places in Germany are remembering the painter, who was born in Greifswald on the Baltic Sea, and whose 250th birthday is being celebrated this year.
According to cathedral pastor Tilman Beyrich, Friedrich’s friend, the master builder Johann Gottlieb Giese, planned stained windows as part of a romantic redesign of the cathedral in the 19th century. But that was not implemented. “When, if not in the Caspar David Friedrich year,” said Beyrich now. Elíasson was at the top of the list of initiators. “To be honest, we didn’t think we could win it.” When asked, Elíasson immediately agreed.
The work of art will be supplemented over the course of the year with mirrors inside and outside the church, which will channel additional light into the interior of the cathedral. Elíasson calls his work “window for moving light.”
Beyrich explained that Elíasson was working on “dematerializing art. So it’s not about the window per se, but it’s about the atmosphere that is created in the cathedral through the window in connection with the mirrors.” Here he sees connections to romanticism, which was also about experiencing and feeling with the heart of religiosity and spirituality.