BEN LONG’S FIRST AMERICAN FRESCOES

The Episcopal Parish of the Holy Communion in North Carolina’s “High Country” has an interesting parish history that I will leave you to read elsewhere. I will discuss only the Ben Long frescoes that have caused this parish’s two tiny church buildings - Holy Trinity (Glendale Springs) and St. Mary’s (West Jefferson) – to become known as the “Churches of the Frescoes.”

Benjamin F. Long IV was born in Texas, but grew up in Statesville, NC. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill who later studied at the Art Students League in New York City. Somewhat later, he moved to Florence, Italy to apprentice himself to Pietro Annigoni, following in the footsteps of his grandfather McKendree Robbins Long (1888-1976), who also attended the Art Students League and then studied academic painting in Europe.

Ben Long’s career took an unexpected twist when he met Pietro Annigoni. The Italian painter in oils had shifted his attention to the ancient medium of fresco. Long worked with Annigoni for almost eight years, learning fresco painting and practicing oil painting on his own. Following his apprenticeship, he worked in Europe for a while. In 1980, he relocated to Asheville, NC and since then has divided his time between Europe and America.

I have not had the privilege of seeing Long’s European frescoes, but his North Carolina works show keen artistic insight as well as technical mastery. To date, close to twenty frescoes have been completed in our state, in Charlotte, Morganton, Crossnore, Wilkesboro, Statesville and Montreat. But his first four North Carolina frescoes, now steeped in thirty years of aging, are perhaps the most impressive.

Over the Fourth of July weekend, I revisited the three frescoes in St. Mary’s Episcopal Church and “The Last Supper” at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. This visit reinforced my previous belief that these are world-class art, combining a modern sensibility with an ancient satisfying medium.

"Mary Great With Child” is on a panel to the left of the altar in St. Mary’s. The model was a local young woman who is portrayed above a very low horizon, with the moon eclipsing the sun above her head, the feminine blocking out the masculine. “John the Baptist” is on a panel to the right of the altar. Again the horizon is low, and the dove (the Holy Spirit) appears above his head. A bumblebee that annoyed the young artist (then in his twenties) and his assistants is immortalized in the lower right corner.

“The Mystery of Faith” was created directly on the wall behind the St. Mary’s altar. The crucified Christ is depicted in realism while the risen Christ is shown in an aethereal fashion that defies classification. (The figure has dreadlocks and is of uncertain racial origin.) The third part of the mystery, that “Christ will come again,” is indicated through mysterious symbolism (apparent upon close inspection only) that hints at our lack of understanding of the exact meaning of the liturgy.

Over at Holy Trinity, Long clearly did not feel intimidated by the fact that Michelangelo had created a “Last Supper.” The recorded narrative that the church provides as interpretation of the painting adds a richness to the characterization of each of the disciples (for whom local people modeled). The other details, spilling out of the corners of the painting, are provocative. And the eyes of St. Thomas (on the far right end of the table) follow you wherever you go, doubting your faith and your fidelity. This is a modern narrative painting of the first order.

Personally, I prefer St. Mary’s for its total artistic effect. With light from side windows that are clear glass and a branch-like leading, the altar area is an aesthetically appealing space, complemented by the art in the remainder of the church. But take the trip for yourself and make up your own mind.

© 2009 Edward C. McIrvine

Arts Spectrum column #441

July 10, 2009