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Subscribe to RSSBy now, you've probably seen the pictures out of Spain of the 19 century painting of Jesus that was "restored" by a local grandmother after decades of damage and neglect. In the wake of her botched restoration, the picture has become a sensation, spawning some hilarious parodies around the Internet. NBC News' Duncan Golestani reports.
She became a viral Internet sensation last week, mocked for her botched restoration of a century-old fresco at her local church - but Cecila Giminez has still attracted a few fans.
Flowers are being left outside the elderly woman’s home in the village of Borja, north-eastern Spain, and the damaged painting has suddenly become a tourist attraction.
The 19th-century fresco, which used to depict Jesus until Giminez’s misguided intervention, is attracting so many tourists that it has now been roped off and is watched over by a security guard.
Tens of thousands of people have signed an online petition praising Giminez’s restoration as a “daring work” and even as “endearing and loving act, a clever reflection of the political and social situation of our time”.
The family of the painter, Elias Garcis Martinez, does not see it that way – especially as they had just agreed to make a donation to have the painting professionally restored.
I can paint that! Wait, no I can't! Amateur artist messes up century-old artwork
''Until now she just painted on the tunic but the problem started when she painted the head as well, because she has destroyed this painting,'' the artist’s granddaughter Teresa Garcia told Spanish television.
Giminez, who is in her 80s, said she was trying to improve the artwork, which had become damaged by moisture, and insisted she had the permission of the priest.
Ha!
— Matt Davies (@matted1) August 23, 2012@frescojesus twitter.com/matted1/status…
A team of art restoration experts is reportedly examining the painting, will quiz Giminez on what materials she used in her attempt and will figure out how best to proceed.
In the meantime, the restoration has been mocked in a series of Internet parodies including a fake Twitter account.
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ALL THIIS IS UTTER BU** SH**.....this is a truly divine inspiration.....god guided that old ladies hand....she saw clear into the heart of the lord when she repainted that portrait! Just look at it closely....looks almost exactly like a burnt potato chip....very similar to the one that looked like the virgin mary!!
Go see this picture soon! before the masses of goofy christians go there to idolize it and pray to it!
I find it interesting that many are ready to take this poor old lady out that was just trying to help over a painting that was so "important" to the church that they let it rot away...
Just how important was this painting?
Normal church happenings - we can't fix it with our millions, someone else has to pay with a donation... yep... real important... until they have to put out the cash, then, not so much...
The article proves that many tourists are just stupid. "damaged painting has suddenly become a tourist attraction"
i bet FIRE can fix it real good ,JUST TOSS THAT UGLY PAINTING RIGHT ON THE FIRE and don't waste anymore money on it
We are witnessing a new genre of art!
It looks like a funny cartoony picture of Jesus. It's still better than what I could do.
I may be a little twisted, but I kind of like the picture! I am sure Jesus had a hand in it! Restore it if everyone is so displeased! However, I feel she was truly guided to do this to the picture. She would be better of working on her own masterpiece in the future!
The event of Christ should have reminded us of the forgiveness inherent in the message.
The absence of forgiveness and suspension of related commandments points to a parable of transitions.
The accumulation of scriptures over time indicates many transitions, many changes, and practices long modified.
Those changes were adjustments addressing contradictions, needs and inadequacies thought to need significant new improvement.
The event of Christ was needed to assist the religious to exchange despair for forgiveness.
The old woman should be forgiven in remembering that now this painting is well known.
It has brought attention to Christ's image stranded crumbing in disrepair on old church pillar.
Was it divine intervention that placed the sympathies of old woman to confront another failing?
If use the paint brush metaphor for a sense of change what is that message?
An ignored image of Christ, became by circumstance of neglect, new and unexpected focal point?
We don't have to wonder, but we might well take as sign of the times?
Which sign, could it be, the abuse of Christ's message by leading figures for deception?
But perhaps it could be how the new message was delivered, paint then internet comments?
The painting may have been inspired by Orphan Anne's lost brother in referencing war bucks?
The message was likely to be the anonymous unattributed messages from Delphic Oracle's intoxicated wisdom.
The internet blogosphere's unattributed messages have their target the dissembling messages of callow brute forces.
Soon these unattributed forces follow the path of least resistance to strike with primal weapons.
Every human advanced tool comes with the requisite misuse do destroy; something, anything, all things.
The internet was intended to improve communication, but comes with power to destroy as well.
The paint brush in unskilled hands had has changed our view, we now can see.
Internet rewriting of Shakespeare by a million monkeys was foretold by newly anonymous comment authors.
We have ability to see warning messages clearly and yet not to see at all.
The internet unleashed the well know evil of destruction to take down all created good.
The distorted image of Christ is that new truth, a new scream, with mouth shut.
(360 words, 24 sentences, of 15 words each.)
I hope security checks you out at the airport
And the ape finally spoke to the man: "We all see that the works of man are great and plenty and his inventions are powerful and fearsome. But my dear man have you not noticed the works of God as being so much greater?"
And the man retorted to the ape: "We shall see what is left of Gods mighty works when we are finished."
And the ape finally sighed: "We already knew you were going there."
Jesus is in all of us, that's why she painted a composite portrait that represents 6 billion people. Except she forgot the aliens from other worlds.
to cosmicquark: Jesus and his mythological creator god is only in the MINDS of the brainwashed and delusional.
Remember that in religious (magical) thinking, things are true unless proven false.
In the REAL world, things are false unless proven true.
Fact and belief are not the same thing.
Get a grip on yourself. Hope you will contemplate what must be an inconvenient truth for yourself. Perhaps tonight you will go to bed less stupid?
Appletoad, no amount of logical demonstration is capable of convincing the willfully ignorant. She is too afraid of being cast into a lake of fire by her loving, forgiving deity to hear what you're saying.
This is a true sign of the second coming. Dats fo sure bubba.
She should be commended. She greatly improved the POS.
Oh c'mon people! It's a freaking painting for god's sake! It's a piece of canvass with paint on it! Some of you jerks are more worried about a freaking painting than a living breathing human being! WHAT is up with THAT?
The painting is a fresco, it is not on canvas. It can't be moved. It's painted directly on the wall while the plaster was still wet. That's also why the original was in such poor shape, both the paint and the plaster flake off the wall over time. BTW, the "Last Supper" is also a fresco, it's painted directly on a wall, it is not a canvas or a board in a frame.
This is how British tax payers money is spent. The country going through an economic crisis, while their royals throw their money in lavish parties like this. idiots...
The painting is not in the UK! You are the idiot!
Is it just me or are all the faces done the same? If she was fixing it, would she not have got one different than the others? Strange
This wonderful restored painting should be given a new name " Grandfather of Jesus"... how perfect that a portrait of an ape should be displayed in a church!
You could imagine what would happen if this was a picture of Muhammad, the Muslims would have issued a Fatwa.
I have returned from the ant hill in my backyard. Now, I am on a mission from God to spread the message. JC is coming down soon to restore the painting with the wave a a hand. So, you religious freaks can all calm down now.
So, this artwork was allowed to rot through years of damage and neglect while the priests fattened themselves with the donations of the poor saps who bought into their culture of ignorance? And now it's supposedly some tragedy that this rotten, crumbling mess fell prey to the sort of stupidity they tirelessly encourage and foster?
Burn them at the stake for their failure... if it was good enough for countless heretics, its certainly good enough for them.
Better yet, let them pray for their god to fix it. If their faith is strong enough, the fresco should be as good as new in the morning. If not, their faith is weak and it's time to break out the fire.
Obviously a graduate of Mr. Bean's School of Art Restoration.
So the painting was of Jesus and was not much money and is not that big a deal or the women would be in jail. I think she is crazy for what she did, you should not ruin someone else's work and she did just that. I think of Guan Yu of Chinese history and of other countries of what the painting looks like. Does this women who paints over this work want to go and help other countries and the painting is like of people she will be seeing? It is very amateur work that she did and basic, I don't like it that much and liked the older version. Weird is that she is planning to work in Africa or something and she did this as a stunt or something, not to sound racist.
I'd think she was or is going to work in Egypt and she is afraid for her life and would not speak up about it. I'm not religious but I still expect of people who represent a religion to act on what that religion stands for. Not just personal wellbeing as this women would do so and act out as. Egypt is on the brink of an attack on the Christians there and this women maybe afraid for her life or something like that. I don’t know why else she would do this act, it would be nice to know what plans the church had for her travels and of herself. Also, this has happened before and it would be helpful to hear of where others who did acts as this one was and where they may or were sent to. This maybe a unrecognized acting out of people of the church, who are being sent to other countries that are in turmoil. This is not fair to anyone and something should be done.
it's hysterically funny when you see it. but God knows if the heart of the older lady loves Him, and if so, He is pleased at her devotion, but one would think He wouldn't approve of her doing what she wanted to a painting that wasn't hers.
The family of the artist will hopefully forgive, and really, if it's some huge amount of money to restore it, why not just donate the money to caring for the elderly so they can be supervised....
God bless
I still think she was looking at or trying to copy the wrong image. It seems like she had the painting The Scream by Edvard Munch on her mind during the "restoration" as the similarities are uncanny...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scream
She makes Christ look like a half shaved gorilla. Based on Vatican Law, she must be burned at the stake.
Well, now that Jesus has been turned BACK into a monkey maybe you Christians will start believing in evolution.