Christ the judge of the world
Christ the World Judge is the name of a glass window by the artist Hans Gottfried von Stockhausen in the chancel of the village church of Werkel near Fritzlar in northern Hesse. The eponymous theme of the work is a central motif of the Christian religion; see Last Judgment .
history
The window, measuring just 65 cm × 140 cm, was made in 1957 by the V. Saile workshop in Stuttgart for the Evangelical village church in today's Fritzlar district of Werkel, which was almost completely destroyed on the Easter weekend in 1945. The church was destroyed when members of the Waffen SS with seven Tiger tanks tried to stop the advance of US army units from Fritzlar towards Kassel .
presentation
The work is one of Stockhausen's typical early works, in which he experiments sparingly with color and shape. Stockhausen processes his own war experiences in Stalingrad in the window and creates a mental arc with the local war events in Werkel.
The window shows Jesus Christ as judge of the world in a type that has been established at least since the Middle Ages: he is enthroned with nimbus and arms raised in the blue expanse of space, his feet rest on the globe. He wears a mainly red robe held by a belt. Four eye elements can be seen at the four corners of the window. The creed is quoted pictorially : "... for from there he will come to judge the dead and the living."
Similar motifs by other artists
Since 1958, Christ as Judge of the World has been enthroned above the Christ Church in Mürwik , a work of the sculptor Ursula Querner .
literature
- Oskar Beyer (ed.): Church window by the painter Hans Gottfried von Stockhausen . Lometsch, Kassel 1958, p. 42.
Web links
- Anneliese Pachali: Small church, great art: the church's glass window was designed by an internationally known artist. In: hna.de. Hessische / Niedersächsische Allgemeine, August 29, 2011 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ See for example the illumination of the Limburg brothers (around 1410), illustration in the article Last Judgment .