Wie alte Malertechniken eine Zimmerdecke retten | SWR Handwerkskunst

Mercedes Kupczyk is a master church painter. However, her areas of operation are not only churches, but also houses, such as the oldest house in Wertheim, at Münzgasse 2, which is a listed building. Rather by chance, floral paintings were found there on the ceilings, yellowed and faded. It is not known who painted them some 450 years ago. Using the materials and techniques of that time, Mercedes Kupczyk will rescue this ceiling of a private house into the present day. In some parts of the ceiling she finds peeling plaster. Wide holes open up between the wooden beams and the plaster field. With a steel brush and a fine paintbrush, the Saxon-born artist first looks at what can be saved. She scratches, brushes and brushes her way through the folds of the last centuries in the ceiling. She removes soot, dust and dirt, because she wants to preserve as much of the original as possible; it's a window into the Renaissance with a wonder factor. Then Mercedes Kupczyk rebuilds the ceiling with natural materials, layer by layer. Like the painter back then, she works with air lime mortar, cow lime, horsehair and pigments. The trained painter and varnisher specializing in church painting has preserved and studied the knowledge. The master knows about the openness of natural materials, how alive and durable they are when treated properly. Her hardware store is nature and her craft is like a journey through the history of materials, techniques and art. Everything is handmade and suitable for do-it-yourself even in any private home. Tried and tested centuries ago and more present than ever.