Dortmund

Berswordt-Altar and Stadtkirche St. Reinoldi

Bild und Klang (engl. Image and sound) - The program for the winter semester 2023/24

TU Dortmund organized the public lecture series "Bild und Klang", which will focus on the 1920s. The series starts on October 17, 2023 and comprises a total of twelve public lectures in the Stadtkirche St. Reinoldi, Dortmund.

The "Bild und Klang" lecture series brings the university into the city, turning the St. Reinoldi city church into a lecture hall. Dortmund as well as the space of the church and the works of art are not simply a backdrop, but repeatedly come into view: as the subject of the lecture, as a contextualization of the topics, but sometimes also as a counterpart for other images and sounds that seemingly do not belong in the place and in the space. The lecture is aimed equally at students and the urban public.

  • Located inside of the St. Mary’s church in Dortmund, the painting on the winged altar showcase the Annunciation to Mary on the outside, as well as the passion christi on the inside. The painting is divided into three separate parts that showcase different events.

  • The name of the painter of the Berswordt-Altar is not known. Experts refer to the anonymous artist as “Meister des Berswordt-Altars” (Master of the Berswordt-Altar)

  • Marienkirche Dortmund

    Kleppingstraße 5

    44135 Dortmund

  • The picture used on this site were taken from Wikipedia. If you want to report the use of your pictures, go to image rights.

The left panel of the Berswordt-Altar showcases Jesus on the way of the Cross to Calvary. Simon of Cyrene is forced to carry the Cross with him. The two figures are being beat forwards by Roman soldiers while a few women expresses their pain and sadness over the event.

The center piece showcases various episodes of Christ's crucifixion in a crowded Calvary. On the bottom left corner, the fainted Mary is supported by St. John. At the bottom of the cross, demonic figures are dancing around the robe of Christ. A Roman centurion recognizes Jesus as the true Son of God. His confession is illustrated in form of a banner.

The right panel is showcasing the descent of the cross. The event is now reduced to onlz a couple of charaters. Joseph of Arimathea holds the body of Christ in his arms while the others remove the remaining nails from the cross.

Contact person:

TU Dortmund University