Marxy in the Yearbook - 1952

Marxy in the Tower - 1972

Page 94-97 of the Tower yearbook features an in-depth interview with Marxhausen along with photos. It discusses his tour across America.

Thou Openest Thine Hand

Thou openest thine hand

10’ x 12’ painted directly onto plaster wall

Painted over 1970s

In this entry I told the story of how I first learned about this mural, which is now covered over.

This is the best image I've been able to find of it, courtesy of Prof. Bockelman. Two verses in the King Jame's Version of the Bible use this phrase:

Psalm 104:28 "That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good."

Psalm 145:16 "Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing."

The Eclipse

Eclipse

Acrylic on masonite panels each 4’

1970

I didn't know this was a Marxhausen before! If you get up close, you can see where he brushed red lightly over thick black paint to get an eerie effect. This is in the science building on CUNE campus.

In one of the yearbooks, they pictured a large drawing of the moon by one of his classes. It seems space and the moon were subjects that intrigued him.

Marxy in the Tower - 1960

I'm a journalist for Concordia's student newspaper, The Sower, and I'm going to look into finding articles about Marxhausen in the old issues. The Tower yearbook has been a great source of information, so I have high hopes that The Sower will have stories about Marxy's art projects, perhaps even interviews.

The 1960 yearbook featured some striking artwork. The images centered on the theme of growth and used poetry alongside image, something I've observed in work by Marxhausen. Were these illustrations by Marxhausen? If someone can confirm they are, I will post them on this blog.

Please visit the Marxhausen Facebook page and see if you can help identify these mysterious art works.

Here is the faculty shot of the 1960 yearbook.

Koenig was a contemporary of Marxhausen and the founder of the Koenig collection. He was memorialized in the 1960 Tower.

Buy Some Art, Help a Great Cause!

Art exhibitions are wonderful in so many ways. They're educational, entertaining and give people something beautiful to look at in the midst of our busy lives. The exhibition on the art of Reinhold Marxhausen will surely be all of these things and more. Marxhausen taught his students (and everyone around him) to notice the beauty in everyday objects. Whether a shadow falling across the sidewalk, a smooth stone or a rusty tin can, Marxhausen could certainly find the most special and exciting attributes. We at the Center for Liturgical Art hope that this exhibit inspires guests to reawaken a sense of wonder as they experience the world.

The Center received a gift of $10,000 to fund the exhibit. We're challenging our supporters (that includes you, blog reader!) to help us match this donation by December 2010. The funds raised will be used to complete further research about Marx and his art, put together the show and travel it to St. Louis (and hopefully other destinations!), and create an exhibition catalogue for visitors.

This exhibition might seem like a one time event, but it is just one more way we can help Marxhausen's legacy live on. By having the exhibition in St. Louis, we're spreading his philosophy to new regions. By creating a catalogue, we're ensuring that a solid compilation of information about Marxhausen will be available to future students and the public at Concordia Unversity. It's an investment we're really excited about!

If you're interested in contributing, check out our website at www.liturgicalart.org. Mark Anschutz, the resident artist and director of the CLA has graciously donated his paintings to the Center. You can purchase these paintings on our website if you click on "store." 100% of the proceeds from these paintings will go directly to the Marxhausen exhibit. You'll get a new piece of art for your living room and benefit a great cause as well!