Ernani Costantini - Religious Art

The Religious Art of Ernani Costantini from 1950 to 2005

				Pieta, 1951, San Canciano church, Venice

				St. Joseph and the Christ Child, 1955, Costantino Institute, Mirano (Venice)

Pope St. Pius X, 1954, church of San Pio X, Padua

From the outset Ernani Costantini was particularly active in the field of Religious Art.
He received his first commissions as early as the nineteen fifties.
Amongst these were some altar pieces: Pieta, 1951, for the Parish Church of San Canciano in Venice; Pope St. Pius X, 1954, for the “Giuseppini” Church in Padua; St. Joseph and the Christ Child, 1955, now in the Costantino Institute in Mirano (Venice); Crucifixion, 1956, for the church of Reane in Auronzo (Belluno).
Also in the fifties he completed at least two entire cycles of the 14 Stations of the Way of the Cross (including the one in the church of San Canciano in Venice in 1956).
The theme of the Way of the Cross was to receive the artist's special attention: he would in fact work on it seven times during his lifetime.

Way of the Cross, III, c. 1956, church of San Canciano, Venice

Resurrection of Christ and Communion of Saints, 1964, church of San Gerardo Sagredo, Venice

From the first half of the nineteen sixties he was called to work on much larger-scale and more extensive projects starting in 1964 with the large mural for the new Church of San Gerardo Sagredo (on the island of Sacca Fisola, Venice): Resurrection of Christ and Communion of the Saints, oil painted on a wall surface of 160 m² (1700 ft²).
Commissions for churches in Venice and Mestre followed in rapid succession: he painted The Last Supper twice, in 1967 in the Church of Santa Maria della Pace in the district of Bissuola, Mestre and in 1968 in the Church of Sant’Agnese, Venice.

The Last Supper, 1967, church of Santa Maria della Pace, Mestre, Venice

The Last Supper, 1968,
church of Sant’Agnese, Venice

The Resurrection of Jesus, the Resurrection of the Dead, the Nativity and the Last Supper, 1978, church of Cuore Immacolato di Maria, Mestre, Venice

He completed three large murals for the Church of Cuore Immacolato di Maria, in the Altobello district of Mestre. Between 1966 and 1968 he painted first Life of St. Girolamo Emiliani, measuring 160 m² (1700 ft²), and then the Stories of the Virgin Mary, measuring 120 m² (1300 ft²), in the two side chapels, opposite each other.
Ten years later, in 1978, he painted The Resurrection of Christ, the Resurrection of the Dead, the Nativity and the Last Supper, on the 300 m² surface of the apse walls (3200 ft²).

He would return to the same church again many years later, between 2003 and 2004, to design the stations of the Way of the Cross on 14 fused glass panels measuring 150 x 70 cm each (59 x 27 ¹/₂ in).

				Life of St. Girolamo Emiliani, 1966, church of Cuore Immacolato di Maria, Mestre, Venice

				Stories of the Virgin Mary, 1968, church of Cuore Immacolato di Maria, Mestre, Venice

polyptych saint rita of cascia, sons, murderer, annunciation, crucifixion, resurrection, pentecost

St. Rita of Cascia 1982, church of Santa Rita, Mestre, Venice

In 1978 he painted another mural for the Church of Santa Maria Goretti in Carpenedo (Mestre): The Supper at Emmaus, 30 m² (320 ft²).
In successive years he painted numerous oil on canvas works of which we will mention the largest: John, Chap. XXI, 1979, 650 x 400 cm (255 ⁷/₈ x 157 ¹/₂ in), for the Church of Sacro Cuore di Gesù in Jesolo (Venice); the polyptych of St. Rita of Cascia, 1982, 260x220 cm (102 ³/₈ x 86 ⁵/₈ in), for the Church of Santa Rita, Mestre; St. Francis of Assissi and St. Catherine of Siena, two altarpieces (400x200 cm / 157 ¹/₂ x 78 ³/₄ in each ) for the neogothic altars in the Church of San Bartolomeo in Fossò (Venice).

St. Francis of Assisi, 1982, church of San Bartolomeo, Fossò (Venice)

John, Chap. XXI, 1979, church of Sacro Cuore di Gesù, Jesolo (Venice)

St. Catherine of Siena, 1983, church of San Bartolomeo, Fossò (Venice)

The Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple, 1989, church of Madonna della Salute, Mestre, Venice

Between 1985 and 1990 he completed a large cycle of mural paintings which almost completely covers the walls of the Sanctuary of Madonna della Salute in Mestre: The Crowning of Mary and the Annunciation around the opening of the presbytery; The Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple on the left wall of the presbytery; The Assumption, the Nativity, the Crucifixion on the counter facade; The 12 Apostles, along the clerestories above the arches of the naves; The Supper in Emmaus at the end of the left nave.

The stations of The Way of the Cross painted between 1983 and 1986 also found a permanent home in the same sanctuary.

Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross

Way of the Cross, V, 1983/86, church of Madonna della Salute, Mestre, Venice

Miraculous Catch of Fishes, 1996, church of San Michele Arcangelo, Marghera, Venice

The Transfiguration of Jesus and the Last Supper, 1993, San Michele Arcangelo church, Marghera, Venice

Ernani continued to paint large-scale works with great enthusiasm when he was older.
Between 1993 and 1996 he painted three other murals for the Church of San Michele Arcangelo in Marghera: The Transfiguration and the Last Supper, (approx 90 m² / 970 ft²) in the semi-dome of the apse; The Miraculous Catch of Fishes and The Calling of St. Peter, (each measuring approx 32 m² / 340 ft²) on opposite walls of the presbytery.

The Calling of Saint Peter, 1996, San Michele Arcangelo church, Marghera, Venice

jesus calling peter with boat and fishermen

In 1992 he completed three mosaics for the outside of the Church of Santi Fabiano e Sebastiano in Padua: Christ the Judge with Mary, St. John, St. Peter and St. Paul; St. Fabian; St. Sebastian.
In 1995 he painted The Second Vatican Council, (600 x 300 cm / 236 ¹/₄ x 118 ¹/₈ in), oil on canvas, for the vault of the Church of Santi Quirico and Giulitta in Campoverardo, Campongara (Venice).
In 1998 he painted another large mural, The Crucifixion (approx 80 m² / 860 ft²) in the Church of Santa Barbara, Gazzera (Mestre).

The Second Vatican Council, 1995, church of Santi Quirico e Giulitta, Campoverardo (Venice)

The Banks of the Jordan, 1997, church of Santissima Risurrezione, Marghera, Venice

Jesus and the Apostles on the Banks of the Jordan river

				The Resurrection of Jesus, 1997, church of Santissima Risurrezione, Marghera, Venice

The three Marys and the Angel at the tomb of Jesus

Pious Women at the Sepulchre, 2005, church of Santissima Risurrezione, Marghera, Venice

A final note about the works for the new Church of the Santissima Risurrezione in the Cita area of Marghera. First, for the consecration of the church in 1997, Ernani painted three works in oil on canvas: the great Resurrection, 730x200 cm (287 ³/₈ x 78 ³/₄ in) located in the apse, Jesus and the Adulterer, 220 x 120 cm (86 ⁵/₈ x 47 ¹/₄ in) and The Banks of the Jordan, 200 x 350 cm (78 ³/₄ x 137 ³/₄ in) which is housed in the baptistry.
He returned there once again in 2005 to climb up the scaffolding, at the age of 83, to complete his sgraffito of Pious Women at the Sepulchre (20 m² / 215 ft²) on the outside, above the church entrance: it was to be his last Religious Art work.

Jesus and the adulterer, 1997, church of Santissima Risurrezione, Marghera, Venice

As well as private commissions it is also important to remember the cycles of religious works that Ernani completed as part of his own personal research and testimony.
Between 1983 and 1984 he worked on the large pictorial cycle From Eve to Mary - The Women of the Bible exhibited for the first time at the Scuola di San Giovanni Evangelista in Venice in 1987, consisting of twelve “portraits” of women from the Bible.
Between 1978 and 1980 he completed the cycle of canvases The Canticle of Canticles consisting of sixteen paintings now split between different collections, which was exhibited in its entirety only once on the occasion of his personal exhibition at the San Vidal Arts Centre, Venice in 1980, together with other works by the artist.
Finally we should also mention the special series of thirty canvases exhibited under the title of Veneto Cristiano (Christian Veneto) during his personal exhibition at the San Vidal Arts Centre, Venezia in 1991; the works of this cycle are also now dispersed among various private collections.

				Judith, 1984, from the cycle From Eve to Mary - The Women of the Bible

				The fig tree putteth forth her green figs … 1980

Venice, the votive bridge for The Redeemer celebration, 1990/91