Old Spanish Church Fresco ruined or retouched?

ictures provided by the Center for Borja Studies show the original version of the painting Ecce Homo, by 19th-century painter Elias Garcia Martinez, from left, the deteriorated version the center recently documented, and the version "restored" by a parishioner.

Church masterpiece 'restored' as Mr. Bean would do it

The efforts of an elderly parishioner to restore a 120-year-old fresco on a column inside a Spanish church have some wondering if a Mr. Bean movie was the inspiration for the effort.

The fresco, titled Ecce Homo (Behold the Man), is a depiction of Jesus Christ with a crown of thorns. It was painted on a wall of the Sanctuary of Mercy at Borja, near Zaragoza, Spain, by artist Elias Garcia Martinez more than a century ago.

Its troubling "restoration" occurred after the local Center for Borja Studies received the donation of a canvas done by Garcia from one his granddaughters who lives nearby, according to the center's blog.

Center staff noted that the only other known work by Garcia in the area was Ecce Homo, went to the church to photograph the fresco, and realized it was in bad shape.

Parishioner Cecilia Giménez said she was asked by the church to fix things up.

“The priest was aware … he knew,” she is quoted as saying in a report on Euronews.com. “Of course I did it because I was told to do it."

In its blog, the center expresses "astonishment" that "an intervention was done" on the painting.

"As unbelievable as it sounds, this is what remains of the work of an artist whose relatives still live in our city," the blog reads.

Giménez said her work was done in the open and nobody tried to stop her, according to Euronews.

"Everybody that came into the church saw me. I never tried to hide,” she is quoted as saying.

"Clearly, she has destroyed the painting," Garcia's granddaughter, Teresa Garcia, is quoted as saying.

The center says it doesn't know if the "restoration" can be fixed.

"We don’t know if this indescribable act has a solution, but there is no doubt that someone should adopt strict measures so that there is not a repetition of acts like this, which despite its intentions, should be strongly condemned," its blog says.

But in reader comments on the blog, some wonder whether the "restoration" is a repetition of a previous act, one from the 1997 Rowan Atkinson film "Bean."

“Something similar happened in the movie Mr. Bean. … It probably inspired whoever did this,” one commenter writes.

In the movie, Mr. Bean accidentally sneezes on the masterpiece "Whistler's Mother" and attempts a crude repair.

(Follow the link below to watch the video)

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/23/church-masterpiece-restored-as-mr-bean-would-do-it/

October's Student Artist of the Month: Marissa Sjolander

 Not only is Marissa Sjolander Pitman High School's October Student Artist of the Month, but she is also the current President of the National Art Honor Society. Below the art rooms own "moon child" dishes on art, inspiration and dancing with paint. 

What sorts of themes do you like to explore in your work?

The themes I try to incorporate in my work are realism and surrealism. I like to make people see that your dreams are and that there is simply beauty everywhere and in everyone.

What inspires you ? What artists do you like?

Seeing beautiful things come out of the darkness inspires me , the reconciliation of opposites. That’s why you’ll see things such as: live vs. death, ying and yang, astrological things, nature, and dream aspects, body parts, and most of all  the eye. I incorporate eyes all the time. Eyes are how I relate to people and different aspects of the world. Life and death also inspire me so much. People generally look at death as a bad thing, but it shouldn’t be viewed that way. Death has so much beauty to it. It’s a new rebirth. As for artists there are ton that inspire me. Two of my very favorites are Alex Grey and Charmaine Olivia.

 What Mediums do you prefer to work in?




Oils and charcoal are my favorite mediums. Charcoal gives off such a drastic contrast. It allows me to portray life and death very well this way. And oils? Well that’s a whole different story. When I work with oils it allows me to “think” more and be more of a scientist and experiment with color. When I am doing my brush strokes I sort of “dance” with my paint. My arms just sway back and fourth. I consider my art a person. I’m dancing with them and getting to know them better.




Which piece is your favorite?

Honestly I don’t have just one single piece that’s my favorite. The piece I’m most recently working on is my favorite. It’s a new world with a plethora of opportunities for me to unlock.

Why do you make art?

I create art because I was given the gift of art. I did indeed come out of terrible events in my childhood. Art kept me alive and going. I know there are people just like me…searching for help and I believe that art has the power to ameliorate their pain. I am going to help them. We can’t just help people with a few wise words, some food and vaccines. We need to nurture their souls.  We need to show them the beauty they haven’t seen. We all just need passion.