The final significant oeuvre by Gerhard Richter is handmade in the Munich glass studio Gustav van Treeck: The “Bayerische Hofglasmalerei” (Royal Bavarian Studios for Glass Painting) realized the new artist windows for St. Mauritius in Tholey in a sophisticated level of design and craftsmanship. It is the church of one of the oldest abbey’s in Germany, which is near Saarbrücken.
Gerhard Richter’s drafts for the three choir windows are translated in glass in the Munich workshops. The church windows are based on artistically highly demanding templates that Gerhard Richter took from the 16-fold mirrored series of his digital work for the publication “Patterns – Devided – Mirrored – Repeated”.
Supported by intensive digital preparatory work, the Richter windows were manufactured as sandwich glazings. Using a wide range of glass painting techniques for example etching of hand-blown flashed glass, free paintings on float glass, screen printing and sandblasting.
Unlike the Cologne windows, Gerhard Richter presented the workshop with playful, detailed, and colorful drafts for Tholey as well as big creative and technical challenges.
So the studio had to get the images onto the glass in an optimal way. The creative concept to use digital image processing to support the traditional craftsmanship took off – the paintings of Richter translated in glass are now illuminating one of German’s oldest abbeys.
International reporting about the windows of Gerhard Richter
New York Times – A stained-glass gift, from god and Gerhard Richter
Artnet – Calling It His Last Major Work …
Der Spiegel – Gerhard Richter’s final great work
Die Zeit – Ornaments of Eternity
FAZ – Because all light wants eternity
Tagesschau – Tholey Abbey receives three church windows by Gerhard Richter
ZDF heute journal – Richter church window presented
DW – Bayerische Hofglasmalerei Gustav van Treeck
For a larger view please click on one of these images. An interactive slide show will open.
Motifs © Gerhard Richter 2020 (04082020)
[flickr]set:72157713458120468[/flickr]
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