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A Feast for the Eyes
By Marie Ottiker

It may surprise many to learn that there are some handsome contemporary churches in Lima with exquisite examples of modern stained glass. These are the work of Adolfo Winternitz, an outstanding artist who resided in Peru until his death in 1993, far from his native Vienna.

For many years he was to be found, calm and reflective, in a black duster in the School of Plastic Arts of the Catholic University where he was founder, director and professor. Or he might have been traveling anywhere in the world as an invited artist. This grave teacher, this cordial, unassuming man of spontaneous humor, was a dedicated artist of international stature, a modern painter and musician, sculptor, and engraver. But it is in his work with glass set in cement that he brought a sense of visual rhythm, and a remarkable depth and intensity of composition.

Winternitz' work is in private collections and museums in the United States and Europe, and in churches in Santiago, Washington, Jacksonville, Madrid and Vienna. Small samples of his frequently monumental stained glass are the splendid round window in the chapel of Santa Ursula school in San Isidro, the seven windows in the chapel of the British Cemetery in Bellavista, and the three stained glass windows in the baptistery of the Cathedral Church of the Good Shepherd.

The traditional forms of working with stained glass were too delicate, too constricting, for the bold concepts that developed among 20th century artists. Experiments began, using glass colored in the melting pot with metallic oxides in chunks instead of sheets. To hold the heavy jewel-like blocks, cement was needed as a binding element instead of the conventional flimsy strips of lead. Inevitably the very massiveness of the work integrated it into the architecture of the building, but at the same time bringing a simplicity and a dramatic quality to the whole structure.

Church of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - Church of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Photo: John Ottiker)

To best appreciate the full effect, we must pick a sunny afternoon when the sunlight comes slanting down and the churches are empty, with only the fading prayers of the faithful hanging like incense in the still air.

Alone or with a friend or a favorite child, we go north on the Via Expresa and take the exit at Avenida Canada. Going along the top of the expressway on Paseo de la Republica for six blocks we come to Avenida de la Americas, a two lane road with a central garden. We turn right on it and continue along till we see the church of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in front of us.

This area is called Balconcillo, and it is surprising to find in such a modest neighborhood this large modern structure, in the front of which is an aggressive stylization of a Virgin figure in stainless steel by Italian sculptress Anna Maccagno, who followed Winternitz as Director of the School of Arts at Catholic University.

The church may be locked, a sadly necessary precaution of our times; but by inquiring at the adjacent building we can gain access to the church.

Inside, two oblong vitraux and a center one open out like the arms of a cross. These are leaded in the conventional style. If the light is right, the first pews are bathed in deep purple, orange and green on one side and in yellow, light purple and blue on the other according to the time of day. But it is the glass and cement walls that are overpowering and draw our attention and wonderment.

Virgin - Church of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Photo: John Ottiker)

We can run our fingers over each luscious hue on the walls and note how each chunk has been chiseled, just like a jewel is cut, to form facets to refract the light. Each one of these thick lumps of glass had to be specially ordered by color and shade from Switzerland. The artist himself did the cutting to size and shaping according to the vision in his mind.

At the back of the church on the left he gave us The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, riding their pale and vivid horses, the personification of the evils of war (Conquest, Slaughter, Famine and Death), from the Revelation of St. John the Devine; on the right side an enormous Virgin of the Apocalypse, elongated and crowned with stars, staring with darkly pained eyes toward the altar.

Church of San Antonio de Padua

Going along Avenida Salaverry from San Isidro toward Lima, we turn left at the end of the 18th block into the wide double-lane avenue that is San Felipe. By following it for six blocks we come on our right to a massive building with a white sculpture of St. Anthony over the entrance. This church was originally built by Canadian Franciscan fathers, but now only one Canadian priest remains in the parish. Again we must gain admittance by inquiring next door at the church offices. And once more we will find ourselves surrounded by the radiance of Winternitz' work.

A great spectacle of luminous color are the eight low pointed “Magnificat” windows running the length of one side wall at floor level. To stand close to the heavenly blues of the outer panels, to touch the warm topaz, beryl and crimson of the center ones, is to feel a childish pleasure, like watching fireworks in the night.

Church of “Santa Rosa de Lima”

Stations of the Cross - Church of Santa Rosa de Lima (Photo: John Ottiker)

In 1958 the American Maryknoll priests of the parish of Santa Rosa de Lima in Lince built a church next to their school on the 21st block of Almirante Guisse. The church can best be approached by turning right on the 20/21st block of Arenales onto Julio C. Tello. Keep going a few blocks till you see the church on the corner on your left.

This is a rather low brick structure with an unassuming entrance that in no way prepares us for the sight of the interior. We hardly have eyes for the beautiful mosaic of Santa Rosa which guards the rear of the church, so dramatic is the first sight of the unusual contemporary altar, flanked the whole length of the church, ceiling to floor, by windows glowing with stained glass.

We are led down the aisle by a vaulted roof of heavy wooden beams to the altar. Behind it is a huge brick wall over which climb green growing vines, lit and fed by sunlight which comes down from an open roof, forming a sylvan backdrop for a bronze crucifix, also the work of Adolfo Winternitz.

We should take note of two stunning sculptures on each side of the nave, which hang above eye level on the plain surface of bare brick. They rest their baroque heads, illuminated and haloed with gold mosaic, with a naturalness and softness that contradict the hard metal of which they are made (by Peruvian artist Roca Rey).

Early in the day, the wall on our left will dazzle the eye with intense blues and light greens. In the afternoon the wall on our right will burst with radiant reds and oranges touched by the setting sum. We observe that the pieces of stained glass, although at least three centimeters thick, seem to be cut smaller and embedded deeper into the cement. At close range they are a compact jumble of colored transparencies. But from a distance the fragments fly apart and the 14 Stations of the Cross and the Old Testament Prophets look down on us, aloof and mysterious as ancient Greek icons.

Whatever your faith, if art speaks to you, if you are moved by beauty, or if you are just looking for a bit of inner peace, this is a totally worthwhile excursion.

Beginning on March 2nd Aldolfo Winternitz, together with other international artists of note, will be honored and remembered in a retrospective exhibition to be announced in the press.

Article first published in The Lima Times

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