The Isenheim Altarpiece in Pastel
Over a three-year project, Elisabeth Biron von Curland recreated the Isenheim Altarpiece by Matthias Gr\u00fcnewald \u2013 one of the most significant works of Western art history \u2013 in pastel.
The Original
The Isenheim Altarpiece, created between 1512 and 1516 by Matthias Gr\u00fcnewald for the Antonite monastery in Isenheim (Alsace), is considered a masterpiece of late Gothic painting. With its harrowing depiction of the Crucifixion and luminous Resurrection, it ranks among the most expressive works of European art. Today the original is housed in the Mus\u00e9e Unterlinden in Colmar.
Elisabeth's Project
As a trained painting restorer \u2013 educated at the Bavarian State Painting Collections in Munich (1962\u20131966) \u2013 Elisabeth Biron von Curland brings a deep understanding of Old Master painting techniques. In her studio in Dorfen near Icking, she spent over three years meticulously reproducing the panels of the Isenheim Altarpiece as pastel works on paper and canvas.
The result is a series of large-format pastel works that reinterpret Gr\u00fcnewald's dramatic visual language \u2013 from the agonising Crucifixion through the mystical Angel Concert to the triumphant Resurrection \u2013 in an independent technique.
The Panels
The Film
The documentary film accompanies Elisabeth Biron von Curland during the creation of her Isenheim Altarpiece project and offers insights into the artistic and spiritual dimension of this work.
Press Coverage
The Ammerland artist Elisabeth Biron von Curland has reproduced the most famous winged altarpiece of the Middle Ages, the Isenheim Altarpiece, in meticulous detail over a three-year project.
Impressive copy: World-famous altarpiece stops in Miesbach.
Exhibitions of the Altarpiece Project
- 2014 – Evangelical Church of St. Michael, Wolfratshausen (Holy Week)
- 2018 – Rathaus Stephanskirchen
A dedicated catalogue has been published for the Isenheim Altarpiece project.