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Wall-Painting on the Hänsel-
and Gretelhaus |
"Lüftlmalerei" is a handicraft method of
wall-painting originally applied for decorating the baroque
facades in Italy and Southern Germany.
It was only in the 18th century that this method began to
become popular in the foothill region of the Alps, where
wealthy traders, peasants and craftsmen displayed their
wealth by means of opulently painted facades.
The subjects of the paintings are mostly of a religious
character, particularly involving figures of saints as well
as manifold scenes all around the Passion Play theme in
Oberammergau.
The painting technique is the so-called fresco technique,
i.e. the water colours of a mineral basis are applied to
wet freshly laid plaster. As the colours dry, they become
a fixed layer of colour, insoluble to water. The necessity
to work quickly in the fresh air (Luft), led to the belief
that the term "Lüftlmalerei" is somehow connected
to this particular method of painting. More convincing,
however, is the story going back to Franz Seraph Zwinck
(1748-1792), probably the most well-known craftsman of his
guild. The story goes that he lived in a house called "Zum
Lüftl" in Oberammergau (such house names can still
be found there rather often) and because of his profession,
was called "the Lüftlmaler" (the "Lüftl"
painter). The name of the whole guild most probably developed
from this name during the 19th century.
The said Franz Seraph Zwinck decorated many beautiful facades
in Oberammergau and its area. The most prominent of them
would be the "Forsthaus", the "Mußldomahaus"
and, last but not least, the "Pilatushaus" with
its ornate architectural fantasies.
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