‘Matthias Grünewald’ speaks about the role of religion in pandemic

Matthias Grünewald [Photo provided = Wikipedia]

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All works of art have the right to protect against imitation and abusement without the permission of others namely copyrights. On the other hand there is an expiration period for copyright until 70 years after the writers death. From then it is possible to share the works left by the writers. Which is so-called as “COPYLEFT”. In the series article we will take time to look over the expired copyright artists who left enormous masterpiece when they were alive and returned as a picture for the peoples.

Name : Matthias Grünewald

Birth : Around 1470

Death : 1528

Nationality : Germany

Art Movement : Late Gothic

Major work : ‘Isenheim Altarpiece’ ‘Heller Altarpiece’ ‘Stuppach Maddonna’

Now in the 2020s fighting with COVID-19. What role should religion play? In Europe where the plague broke out in the 14th century the church was a resting place for the people who were frightened by disease. Todays introduces the artworks of Matthias Grünevalt a symbol of German Gothic art that helped believers in church overcome the pandemic.

The church has always shed light during crises and difficulties throughout the long history of humans. Religion was to bring help and consolation to the crisis areas such as refugees due to climate change hunger problem in third world countries such as Africa and civil war in the Middle East.

In Europe where the plague originated in the middle of the 14th century the role of the church was the same. At that time many people in Europe were in a state of physical and mental chaos due to the loss of their lives and their families. Church could not give them a medical help but a spiritual help to people who had lost their way in the first pandemic situation.

It is natural for humans to be infected due to the nature of infectious diseases but the cause of the plague was not known medically at that time so people who were frightened gathered at the church. They sat in front of the aterpiece and prayed earnestly. Although the plague is known to have been prevalent for about 200 years many people still died of infectious diseases in Würzburg Germany around 1470 when it was estimated that ‘Matthias Grünewald’ to might have been born. Just as it is common for children aged four to five to wear masks Matthias must have gathered at the church to pray for those who have passed away from infectious diseases.

Like Albrecht Dürer who was introduced in previous article there is not much data left about Matthias Grünewald. In particular his childhood record is much lower than that of Dürer. Therefore we can only know that he was talented for art and his major drawing style was Gothic unlike Dürer who met Italian Renaissance art.

Matthias the most famous work is ‘Isenheim Altarpiece’ completed in 1515. The altarpiece is a common artwork form in Gothic art and is designed to be placed in front of the church where the congregation look out. It was closed to the public usually but it was opened during Easter and the Passion Week so it was considered sacred since the congregation could not see easily.

‘Isenheim Altarpiece’ which was made to the order of the Antonio Order in Isenheim depicts a passage from the Bible where Jesus Christ was crucified. It was mainly opened in time for Passion Week. From the center of the painting the image depicts the Virgin Mary suffering and fainting from looking at Jesus nailed to a cross on the left the disciple Johann carrying the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdala praying for Jesus from the bottom of the left and John the Baptist on the right.

Unlike Renaissance paintings which emphasize harmony and balance perspective accurate depiction of the human body and beautiful proportionality the painting is somewhat distorted. Matthias did not want to glorify the incident that Christ was crucified. He wanted to exaggerate his suffer to show it to congregation who were afraid of infectious diseases.

By showing how gruesome Jesus sacrificed himself he tried to make patients suffering from psychological and physical illness to use it as a lesson. Of course he did not try to deliver the message like Look at Jesus. He was sacrificed in pain far more than you. Endure it and win!” He rather gave hope.

When you open the left side of the altarpiece ‘Saint Sebastiano’ appears on the left side. He was a Roman officer who converted to Christianity and was shot by an arrow and executed. But there is an episode that he miraculously revived. And because ancient people believed that the epidemic was transmitted by Cupid arrows they considered Saint Sebastiano who was not killed by the arrows as the guardian of overcoming the epidemic.

When the right side of the altarpiece is opened ‘Saint Antonius’ appears. He is still the main saint of Isenheim near Strasbourg. He appeared in the altarpiece because he ran a monastery hospital in those days. In the painting a demon breaking through a window is spewing poison over his head and it seems to symbolize the spread of the plague.

Currently this painting is owned by the Unterlinden Museum in a small French village Colmar it is so famous that many people visit to pray whenever an epidemic breaks out. Medical treatment is also important but mental pain is also considerable so people visit to get psychological comfort.

Like this the Church has contributed greatly to the peace to humans as a group representing love engagement humanity and philanthropism. However the attitude toward the COVID-19 situation which was recently founded in the Korean religious community was far from what we have seen so far. Religion which should be consoled during an international pandemic crisis has been misinterpreted as the cause of the spread of the epidemic.

It seems that we can always find the answer from the past according to the human history. During the COVID-19 crisis it is necessary to play the role similar to the ‘Isenheim Altarpiece’ by Matthias Grünewald rather than insisting on face-to-face worship spreading infectious diseases. The church a symbol of love and engagement should serve as a comforting role for the common people.

‘The plague at ashdod’ by Nicolas Poussin [Photo provided = Wiki commons]

‘Isenheim Altarpiece’ by Matthias Grünewald [Photo provided = Wikipedia]

The center of ‘Isenheim Altarpiece’ [Photo provided = Wikipedia]

‘Saint Sebastiano’ the left part of ‘Isenheim Altarpiece’ [Photo provided = Wikipedia]

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