The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-08-29
PICTURE WHICH HAD "GREA1EsT
CALCULATIONS


AaesxST aw
louisville Courier-Journai.
I The world often takes its favorites
tcn trust One not great picture unoes
+. ART canons, has Travelled around anu
IA the ends of the earth ana not one
In a million Of those VINO Know the
aaoclx of Ages" best would know tne
artists name II spoken or written.
M1arnest ana mild. this old man lives
land works in the past. Whatever tnelr
Ensr,t. or demerits-upon neither OK
which this article need toucnt-nls
harge canvases have curious interest
Johannes Adam Simon Oertel was
born at Furth, near NurnpurS, IA
Waria. In 1871. His early education was
~ Nurnburg ana Munich, and from MI
EhaeI Enging and Muller he received
I'd. firsf training as an engraVer anu
katcher. Even that early he developed
Religious enthusiasm, ana his precep-
kor. wilhoe, advised him to leave me-
khanical for creative art: IN Aeo1 no
$3.50 ~ America. determined to enter
Ers church and to consecrate his ltfe
&o picturing its, mission. says Tne new
Young Oertei began mis- studies for
Aha Profestant Episcopal ministry un-
lar the Rev. John r. Hubbard. then
rector and teacher at westerly. ~ !:
gThe pastor was the elder protner OF
AX4aFnlH6T GREENE
ftscaI nature later saved the telephone
Is.sufruct to his gifted son-in-law. Al
hxander Graham Bell. It was at Wes-
kerlv that OerteI designed the picture
ltfat has probably q wider circulation"
than any by an American artist.
There he drew the original OF the
crock of Ages in the album OF par
ishioner. The crude attempt 70 real.
dze "Simply to Try Cross Cling mucn
interested DR.. Hubbard and his wife,
ana they urged its reproduction. This
che Young theologian undertook at
once. attempting o replica Of Mrs Hub
Nard'b figure and coioring IN the now
familiar figure safe amid the roaring
waves. DR.. Oertel teok no thought OF
anv material value in the sketch. but
his ureceptor's wife sent 1t to London.
where IT was Autographed and imme-
aiateiy caught q popular fancy OF the
dav. Ere long repetitions came from
the shops of many engraver6, nrst
abroad. but soon on this side OF the
ocean. It's designer received Tor the
soriginal only a nominal sum. even II
he was actually paid for tnaL n1t
the fervor of the concepton-apa
from any artistic worth-sent added
editions of the print even to remote
frontier provincial settlements.
slight changes, to evade the law II In
,voked. ran these piracies into the mil
lion. s.s-As~ %4S 81 ~
while at,Westerly the enthusiast be-
gan many other pictures. only few
of which even approached completion
hhere. This is especially true Of his
IsRedemption," Of which he tells that
lone morning, in chapel. his thoughts
swepe distracted from prayer by some
inner ferment. His mind would not
lfix itheIf upon the service. Gradually
lad nd ha
gently In utter absorption. Suddenly.
he relates, he was constrained to Ak
his eyes upon the bare walls of the
chapel There glowed q great picture.
Perfect in form and beyond criticism
IN color, he beheld the six figures OF
his later Redemption" Straight from
church to studio he went, and on rough
paper made his first cartoon Of the
Rision- painting that possessed him.
But, in his peculiar fashion. he did no
more than this at the time. The car
toon hung untouched until it was fall
ting 90 pieces from age. Then only he
made q sketch from 1t in color; but
years again passed before he began
painting the picture.
Redemption" is the key OF four
ssrhe Dispensation of the Law" ''rhe
Triumph OF Faith" The first is the
ambitious attempt to incarnate a soul's
salvation: The figure on the large
canvas being the Saviour, the EVIL one
lunder His heel), Death, the Serpent
q Corpse, and the Soul of a female
voIuptuary. Drawing and treatment
alike emphasize the defeat OF the forces
OF evil; but the details are more emo
tional and medieval than artistic, and
description would interest only the Gu
rious critic. The still larger canvases
of TIE two "Dispensations" attempt the
gr6uping Gin either painting) of all
SFho are mentioned In the Bible as pre-
feeding the coming of Christ, from
Adam to Eve, to the dawn of the man.
ger; and on the other, the dethroned
Godhead, surrounded by all who have
in any manner aided in dissemination
OF the Word. The fourth of the series
represents Christ and the Apostles
mounted on white steeds and career
ing through space over the writing
and PROSTATE forms OF Anti-Christ,
Sin, and all the embodied forces of op-
position.
At Sewanee.
other and kindred canvases cover
the walls of the Walsh memorial gal
iery at Sewanee. to which the artist
gave most OF his output; but continu-
GUS trend of thought brings them all
into one great group. Among them are
individual canvases. as THE Holy
Grail" the Sacrifice of Noah" Christ
fapd Barabbas.' and THE Shadow Of a