Church ripping Llort mural from facade of cathedral
The destruction of the mural has been condemned by the Salvadoran government and by the family of Fernando Llort. The family of Llort says the artist is deeply saddened, and that he had not been advised in advance nor given the opportunity to retire his most important artistic work in dignity. The mural, completed in 1997, was an homage to the 1992 Peace Accords which ended El Salvador's civil war.
The Catholic church has stated that parishioners had been consulted and that they were in agreement with the decision. Images of what will replace the Llort mural on the facade of the cathedral have not been released, but press reports indicate that it will be some sort of painting or sculpture of the Divine Savior of the World, patron of San Salvador.
On his website, Llort had this description of the work on the Cathderal:
The Catholich Church from El Salvador asked me to design the facade for the Cathedral. This has been one of the most inspiring artistic moments of my life, because it meant to me that I was putting my art on a very important symbol of my country, with a huge historical value. It was a work that took us (me and a group of artisans) around 1 year to finish.
The Facebook page of the Fernando Llort Foundation was filled with expressions of sadness and solidarity. Another Facebook page, Indignados por El Mural, is rapidly filling with pictures and comments and anger at the blindness of the church to the meaning of this artwork.
These pictures show what the mural has been reduced to:
Comments
Eternity and temporality are of old ones.
The church claims to be eternal and managed to keep that idea in our minds for 2 millennia. The wisdom in keeping with the canons of sacred art is essential to preserving its eternity. An archbishop in the past left to see the church is as temporary as their hierarchies in art making a decision too temporary. Taking decisions mmaybe based in so temporary a criterion as donations, for example, instead of the artistic conscience of the people carefully formed by centuries in our catholic churches sacred art.
The Salvadoran people associated the cathedral with something as mundane and timely as a beach towel.
Rome has seen, that eternity was slipping out in Central America through the crack opened giving the mural of artist Llort in the center and root of Salvadoran identity. Now wisely rectifies.
In calmer political times, this correction would have gone unnoticed, and the majority attitude had been "finally removed it." No one would let go a cry.
But now the fate of the mural blocks would determine which party will wins most mayors and deputies.
More than the cathedral, the most honorable and appropriate place for the work of Mr. Llort is Market ExCuartel. The tenants ladies would feel honored, and the opinion of the people would agree that the market would gain in image and respect.
The winning party on March 12 will be the one to return to the church its eternity, and market their dignified temporary headquarters.
Speed the party that wants to win to collect the remains of the beautiful mural still redeemable, construct a monumental entrance to the market, and celebrate inauguration with pomp and circumstances for the smarter party's candidate, and maybe Mr. Llort., but that’s would depend on his religious political worldly tendencies.
...miren la fecha que escogieron para destruirlo.
for the mosaic mural created by Salvadoran artist Fernando Llort 14 years ago and destroyed by Archbishop José Luis Escobar Alas at the end of December of 2011
by Francisco X. Alarcón
the Archbishop removed
the mural from the façade
of the Cathedral
with brutal swiftness
as the Taliban removed
the giant carved Buddha
and a Rockefeller
once removed a Rivera
mural in New York—
the mosaic mural
was too colorful, naïve,
just too folkloric
too indigenous
like the poor campesinos
of El Salvador
more apt for village
church than for a Capital City
Metropolitan Cathedral—
its title, “Harmony
of My People,” too common,
too political
it reminded people
of the bloody Civil War,
the Peace Accords
yes, the Theology
of Liberation, more Earth
than holy Heavens
too Salvadoran
like Monsignor Óscar
Arnulfo Romero—
the Archbishop now
wants angels and archangels
like there are in Rome
(mosaics lie on the floor
as trash, massacred like so
many disappeared)
© Francisco X. Alarcón
January 8, 2012
para el mural de mosaicos creado por el artista salvadoreño Fernando Llort hace 14 años y destruido por el Arzobispo José Luis Escobar Alas a finales de diciembre de 2011
por Francisco X. Alarcón
el Arzobispo removió
el mural de la fachada
de la Catedral
con rapidez brutal
como el Talibán removió
el gigante Buda
y un Rockefeller
una vez removió un mural
de Rivera en Nueva York—
el mural de mosaicos
era muy colorido, naïve
demasiado folklórico
muy indígena
como los pobres campesinos
de El Salvador
más apto para iglesia rural
que catedral metropolitana
de ciudad capital
su título, “Armonía
de mi pueblo,” muy común,
muy político
recordaba a la gente
de la sangrienta Guerra Civil,
los Acuerdos de Paz
sí, la Teología
de la Liberación, más Tierra
que santos Cielos
demasiado salvadoreño
como Monseñor Óscar
Arnulfo Romero—
el Arzobispo ahora
quiere ángeles y arcángeles
como hay en Roma
(mosaicos yacen en el piso
como basura, masacrados
como tantos desaparecidos)
© Francisco X. Alarcón
8 de enero de 2012