Fred’s Journey
Nuremberg Germany
May 15, 1945
In September 1942 I was ordered to the Chaplain School at Harvard University. Every morning the Episcopalian clergy gathered for communion before a copy of the massive reredos of Saint Lorenz Nuremburg. I saw the original in May of 1945 behind a bullet-pocked altar with crumbling stone and split timber debris in the sanctuary. Today the whole church has been restored.
Artist’s Statement
- Joseph DiStefano
From
My first thoughts, upon seeing the glass shards, were of beautiful stained glass windows; the fruits of the labor of skilled artisans, transformed from objects of solace and reverence into jagged, blood seeking weapons. As I continued thinking and working, I found I couldn’t sustain this mood. I moved past the moment of extreme violence to one of solemnity: “the calm after the storm.” The priest picking up the shards, still warm from their destruction… wanders back through the years, activating his memories. That which took several generations to build, and served many generations as a place of worship, was gone in a flash. All that remained was the residual violence.
Artist Information
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Joseph DiStefano
Specifications
Number of shards: 9
Dimensions: 28″ × 30″ × 5″
Medium: ceramic tiles, silk-screened and gilded glass mounted in wooden and concrete frame
