CORPUS CHRISTI HIRES FAMED ART CONSERVATOR FOR RESTORATION OF ICONIC CHURCH MURAL

Public Invited to Expert’s Presentation on the Mural’s Restoration, History, Significance and Symbolism

In its most high profile initiative to date, Corpus Christi Church has commissioned renowned art conservator Roman Kujawa to restore its iconic mural above the church altar. This exquisite artwork, which is a signature element of the church interior, is a rendering of a Vatican masterpiece by celebrated, Renaissance painter Raphael Santi.

Since its installation in the 1920’s, this awe-inspiring mural has sustained significant damage from roof leaks, age and interim repairs which proved to do more harm than good. Henry Swiatek is a life-long parishioner at Corpus Christi, and has been a passionate advocate for the Disputà’s restoration for the last 10 years. As owner of Swiatek Studios, he is widely respected for his expertise in church renovation, decorative painting, and stained glass restoration.

When asked why this particular mural is of such importance, he cites Pope John Paul II, who referred to Rafael’s painting, titled “The Disputation of the Blessed Sacrament” (or more commonly known as the Disputà) as the second greatest religious painting of all time, second only to the Sistine Chapel, for its representation of the “Summa Theologica” of the Catholic faith. Swiatek goes on to explain that the Disputà rendering at Corpus Christi represents the highest calibre of ecclesiastical art for its epic subject matter, noting, “If the Disputà were a novel, it would be War and Peace for the breadth of story it tells.” In addition, the mural was painted by Marion Rzeznik, in collaboration with Gonippo Raggi, both of whom were considered premier, 20th century artists of ecclesiastical paintings.

Corpus Christi parish recently completed a historic restoration of the church’s slate tiled roof, which eliminated the roof leaks and finally allowed conservation of the mural to move forward. Mr. Swiatek and his son Brett, who is co-owner of Swiatek Studios and is a graduate in Fine Arts from Alfred University, are coordinating the mural project as volunteer members of the church’s Building and Bids Committee. As a first step, the committee engaged the services of the Art Conservation Program at Buffalo State College to assess the mural’s condition. The results of a paint sample analysis, along with cleaning a “test area” on the canvas, revealed that a large section of the mural had been whitewashed, and many of the mural’s details had been overpainted as an expedient “refreshing” during the 1950’s. These surprising results led to a series of recommendations, complete with budget estimates, that gave the parish a planning tool to restore the mural’s original beauty.

It just so happened that the project was aided by Fr. Anzelm Chalupka, former Pastor at Corpus Christi. Fr. Anzelm, who is now Pastor at St. Casimir’s Church in Yonkers, New York, introduced Mr. Swiatek to parishioner Roman Kujawa, who is an internationally recognized art conservator.

Mr. Kujawa received his training in art conservation in his native Krakow, Poland. For the past twenty years, he has restored art treasures in European museums, palaces, and churches, as well as some of the most valuable works of art in public and private collections. In 1995, he was called upon to restore the 18th-century ceiling and gilded crown molding in the Blue Room of the White House.

Mr. Kujawa made a site visit to Corpus Christi last fall, and was astonished by the magnificence of both the church itself and the mural. He noted, “The church displays the greatest artistic achievements . . . stained glass, decorative painting on the walls and ceiling, reliefs and sculpture executed in marble and wood, floor mosaic. However, the biggest achievement is the painting above the main altar. . . Very few churches in the USA can be proud of such a treasure. Unfortunately, in later time the painting was repainted by not such a good artist. The most beautiful colors and original forms were replaced by flat grey and average colors, so the real form of figures got lost. . . It’s like if a contemporary artist would paint over Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting “Mona Lisa.” For sure the world would be enraged. Why? Because we would lose the beauty, truth and talent of this artist. The same thing happens here at Corpus Christi church with Mr. Rzeznik’s painting. If the present surface never gets cleaned, people will never learn the beauty of the original painting.”

Work is set to begin in March and is expected to be completed in time for the National Trust Conference in Buffalo this October. Henry and Brett Swiatek will be assisting Mr. Kujawa in this conservation project. Besides the prestigious mural restoration, this project includes the replacement of the drainage tile along the church foundation, re-pointing of the basement walls, and installation of new membrane waterproofing along the entire foundation perimeter. The proposed work is essential to reverse significant deterioration and potentially much more costly remediation to the church’s exterior envelope, threatening the building’s long term structural integrity, and ultimately the brilliant interior decoration which includes the Disputà. An overhaul of the church’s entire electrical system is also included, to illuminate the Disputà as was originally intended.

The public is invited to a free presentation given by Mr. Kujawa on the Disputà restoration on Sunday, March 13 at 12:30p.m. in the church. In addition, Martin Ederer, PhD, who is a noted lecturer, author and Assistant Professor of History at Buffalo State College will speak on the history of the Disputà and Michael McKeating, who is an attorney, author and Deacon for the Catholic Diocese, will discuss the iconography and symbolism of this artwork.

Funding for the Disputà project, which is anticipated to cost $382,000, has been assisted through a significant grant from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation through the Environmental Protection Fund. This State grant allows for $125,000 to be applied toward the foundation drainage aspect of the Disputà project, with additional State funds targeted for restoration of the church’s massive north tower. This grant is the second award the church has received from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation since Corpus Christi was listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places in 2007. However, significant funding is still needed, and the parish is actively seeking donations for the long-term preservation of this community treasure.

2 Comments

  1. Wanda Slawinska

    Ogromnie sie ciesze, ze praca postepuje.
    Szczesc Boze!
    Wanda Slawinska

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