Faith & Art
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Labor of love makes old painting new again
Course to bring faith into focus in art
By Jessica Langdon Leaven staff
OPEKA — With a skilled hand, Bob Swain performed what could almost be compared to surgery. Swain, a member of Mater Dei Parish in Topeka and owner of Beauchamp’s Gallery, even prayed through some of the more delicate procedures. His task wasn’t an easy one as he set out to make what was old new again — to make something broken whole. Swain’s patient wasn’t a person, but a 150-year-old painting.
By Jessica Langdon
E This cherub, at the bottom right of the painting, is thought to be the artist himself. now own. The technique Swain learned is the same one large museums would use. “For four weeks, all we did was soak it in conditioner,” Swain said. The painting soaked up the linseed and emollients like a sponge. They then relined the canvas by applying a waxy compound, sort of like candle wax, to the back of the old painting and adhering that canvas to a second canvas added to the back. “You literally are ironing it together,” he explained. “The wax then goes through the old canvas” and holds the paint on, without which the paint “would just fall off in clumps” at the merest touch. Entire pieces of the old canvas were still missing, however, so Swain had to rework those parts using the context of the rest of the painting to guide him. He even matched the colors to the ones that would have been used during the Civil War era. Finally, he reworked the frame, molding and perfecting pieces that had succumbed to age and wear.
Commissioned by a bishop In 1861 — still more than a decade before the archdiocese in its current form was established — Bishop John Baptist Miege commissioned this painting of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. It was to hang in his cathedral in Leavenworth. The framed oil-on-canvas painting is believed to be the only surviving work of the artist James O’Neill. Thanks to the research of Don Jensen, a retired reporter and editor in Kenosha, Wis. — which was O’Neill’s home before a job opportunity brought him to Leavenworth — O’Neill’s story and his painting are seeing new life. And after a major face-lift under Swain’s direction, the artwork is now ready for its public debut and will make several stops in the archdiocese. Fittingly, its first was at Bishop Miege High School.
Discovering O’Neill Despite Jensen’s extensive knowledge of local history, he’d never heard of the Irish-born O’Neill before he came across an article while browsing through old microfilm in 2005. The report was about O’Neill’s death. The Wisconsin paper in 1863 reported that “native son” O’Neill had been among those killed at the hands of “Confederate irregulars” under William Quantrill in an incident known as the Baxter Springs Massacre. O’Neill was only 30. As Jensen delved further into details of O’Neill’s life, he learned that in addition to being a painter, O’Neill was an actor, a Union man and a bit of a comedian and prankster.
He was skilled at set design and worked on massive panoramic pieces that were basically the travelogues of the day. Jensen described O’Neill as being “embedded” with Union Gen. James Blunt’s men, capturing their activities in pictures, writings and cartoons.
Disappointing news When Jensen read of O’Neill’s painting of the Assumption, he initially believed the piece, like the rest of O’Neill’s art, had disappeared into history, especially when he read that the cathedral where the painting had hung burned more than a century ago. “End of the line. No more story. No known surviving painting of Jim O’Neill’s,” Jensen concluded. But that didn’t turn out to be the end of the story.
For the world to see It’s not easy to move a painting that is nearly 5 feet tall and 3-1/2 feet wide and weighs about 150 pounds. To get the painting to its first stop at Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park, Bob Swain borrowed a school bus from Mater Dei Parish in Topeka. The painting is spending much of April at the school, where students can view a special PowerPoint on the painting in their religion classes, courtesy of Ann Connor, archdiocesan associate superintendent for Catholic schools. The painting will next make its way
to Savior Pastoral Center in Kansas City, Kan., where it will be on exhibit for the month of May. Rosaries and Marian devotions are being scheduled during that time. Sometime in June, the painting will travel to the Cathedral of St. Peter in Kansas City, Kan., where it will spend a few weeks. Then it will conclude its travels this summer when it arrives at its home, Mater Dei-Assumption, in time for the feast of the Assumption.
Bob Swain restored what is believed to be the only surviving work of artist James O’Neill. The painting of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary was commissioned by Bishop John Baptist Miege.
Symbolism in the art
The painting is on a tour of the archdiocese. First stop is Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park. Students admire the painting between classes.
Glimmer of hope “Then lightning struck twice,” he said. Again, while merely browsing through old Kenosha articles, he came across a report from Topeka in the mid-1870s. “[It] referred to a portrait of the Virgin Mary that had recently been hung in the local Catholic church [in Topeka], mentioning that it had been painted by poor Jim O’Neill who died in the Baxter Springs Massacre,” Jensen explained. “The light went on.” The painting, he realized, had somehow made it from Leavenworth to Topeka. It made sense, given that the painting’s subject and the name of the church — Assumption — were the same. So Jensen gave it one last try and sent a letter to the editor of the Topeka Capital Journal inquiring after the painting.
Good, quality painting By the time the letter ran in February 2011, Swain was actually already familiar with the painting — even though he hadn’t yet heard of O’Neill. A few years earlier, Swain had gotten a call from someone at Assumption wanting him to look at a painting that was in storage. He found the unsigned painting to be
an original work of art and a good-quality piece, which showed Mary surrounded by cherubic angels. However, its condition was far from perfect. “It had holes in it, lots of holes,” said Swain. “The whole surface was peeling off of it. Even good paint was coming loose.” The painting was then moved into an upstairs storage room in the school to get it into a better environment. There it stayed until Swain had cause to take a fresh look at it. When people saw Jensen’s letter in 2011 and started asking around, Sister Corita Conlan, SCL, longtime principal at Assumption School in Topeka, remembered the painting hanging in an alcove at the school for years. And when Swain came across Jensen’s letter, he also knew exactly what it was referring to.
There was only one thing to do: “Let’s see what we can do to save it,” Swain said.
Painstaking process When the framed painting made it to his workshop at Beauchamp’s Gallery, it needed a lot of work. “The hardest part is just getting it stabilized,” Swain explained. He started by taking off the frame in order to be better able to focus on the painting itself. It was brittle, worn and damaged in many places. Pieces of the original canvas were missing, and someone had previously made some makeshift efforts to patch up parts of it. Swain — an artist himself — learned his restoration skills at the hands of the late Paul Beauchamp, from whom Swain and his wife Kim bought the gallery they
Although the painting doesn’t include a signature, it holds something else both Jensen and Swain believe could be just that — a cherub whose face doesn’t quite match those of the others. Many of the cherubs have their arms lifted in a heavenly direction. “Their effort or their gaze, they’re focused on Mary,” said Swain. “They’re lifting her up . . . except this little guy.” This little angel at the bottom of the painting doesn’t look as young or sweet as the others, nor does he gesture upward or have his eyes fixed on Mary. It’s almost as if he’s looking right at the viewer, with a little smirk on his face. “Jointly we concluded that as his little joke [exactly the sort of practical joke Jim would have loved to play] we think O’Neill painted his own likeness as the face of one of the cherubs,” said Jensen.
Back where it belongs As a Catholic and parishioner at Mater Dei, the parish formed from Assumption and Holy Name churches, Swain enjoyed making this painting ready once again for the world to see. Jensen is also thrilled at this development in O’Neill’s story. “It is a delight to me to have tracked down and helped save James R. O’Neill’s only surviving artwork,” he said. “And I am so pleased to know that it will again hang, appreciated, where it belongs!”
Leaven staff
ver since hearing about a course offered by the Maryvale Institute in Birmingham, England, Charlotte Ostermann has dreamed of studying art from a Catholic perspective. At the time, however, “Art, Beauty and Inspiration in a Catholic Perspective” was only offered at the campus there. So Ostermann, a member of the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center in Lawrence and a writer and poet interested in the arts from a faith perspective, was recently thrilled to learn that the course will soon be offered right here in northeast Kansas. The Maryvale Institute Center will offer “Art, Beauty and Inspiration” in partnership with the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. The one-year program begins with a residential weekend, which will take place July 12-15 at Savior Pastoral Center in Kansas City, Kan. David Clayton, the artist in residence at Thomas More College in Merrimack, N.H., and Dr. Caroline Farey, the course director and a faculty member at Maryvale Institute, will be the presenters for the residential weekend. The course is designed for both practicing artists and anyone interested in art. Participants will compare Eastern and Western Christian traditions and read works of popes, saints and artists. Ostermann doesn’t have an art history background, so she looks forward to bolstering her own art education — and adding to the education she is providing her children. Culture is filled with lies — not only about morals, but also about what is true and beautiful, she said. Just as people turn to the church for moral formation, it’s important for people to be formed when it comes to aesthetics, learning from a Catholic perspective what truly is beautiful, said Ostermann. “I’m really excited to get the formation that I know I’ve needed,” she said. “It’s not something we’re just born knowing — what is true in the world of art and beauty.” The archdiocese has proven to be a leader when it comes to integrating the arts and faith, she said, pointing to the establishment of the Catholic Fine Arts Council. Lesle Knop, a member of the Cath-
‘Art, Beauty and Inspiration in a Catholic Perspective’ What it is: A one-year, collaborative-learning program (equal to six undergraduate credits) with an introductory residential weekend July 12-15 at Savior Pastoral Center in Kansas City, Kan. The Maryvale Institute partnered with the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas in order to be able to offer the course. Participants will: explore beauty and depth of art from a Catholic perspective; examine works in provided art packs; read inspirational pieces from popes, saints and artists; and more. Cost: Varies, depending on which option the participant selects. For more information and registration materials, send an email to: ecat2@archkck.org.
olic Fine Arts Council, agrees, and is excited about the opportunity the program offers Catholics of the archdiocese. “Intellectually, the church has the richest, deepest history of the study of art and virtue and beauty available to the Western culture,” said Knop. “I think it’s an opportunity for anyone interested in art history, art production, or church tradition.” People interested in this program have three options. The full certificate course costs $995, which includes accommodations and meals for the residential portion, full tuition, course materials and assessment. Students who choose this option will need to buy a few additional books. The second option costs $650 for audit, plus course materials. This includes the cost for the residential weekend and full tuition. The third option is audit only, and it costs $550, which covers full tuition and the residential portion. Exciting things are happening in the Catholic world, Ostermann said, and it’s not necessary to travel hundreds of miles to be part of them. She hopes others will join her in taking part in this opportunity. “People think the exciting things are happening somewhere else, and one of the most exciting is happening right here,” she said.
Nelson offers religious art tours A previous article in The Leaven on religious art at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Mo., drew substantial interest, and the museum has created a specific way to request such a tour. To sign up online, go to the museum’s website at: www.nelson-atkins. org. From the home page, go first to “Education,” then select “Tours” on the drop-down menu. Select “Adult groups of 6 or more,”
and then “Religion in Art” on the next screen. Next, click on the “Sign up Online for an Adult Tour” link, and fill out the information. Be sure to select “Religion in Art” under the “Guided Tours” box, and then, in the special needs/ comments box, specify your request for a Christian art tour. That is also the place to request a specific focus, such as “saints.”