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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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Leave a Comment:
idiots like this have no right owning something which should be in a museum.... it reminds me that Mr. Bean movie where he trashes historic artwork.
You mean Mrs. Bean, LOL!!!!!!
This is what happens when millionaires keep the money and hire an incompetent, retarded person to paint. Hell, my dog could have done a better job. THIS IS SO FUNNY!!!
its a shame.no matter what the painting is of.stupid people strike again.
1. No one was supervising or checking on her progress?
2. No one requested a sample of her work before giving her the job?
3 She completed all 12 faces before realizing she had destroyed the painting?
Seems there are more idiots involved than just this one lady. It is truly horrifying to the point of hilarious what she has done to this fresco. Really, could she not see a problem between the original and what she was doing before the whole thing was ruined???
People were supervising her. It's just that we all know catholic priests are always drunk, so to them it looked good. LMAO!!!
Where were the caretakers of this church while this demented old woman was in there ruining a work of art that wasn't hers to ruin? Her family needs to pay for a proper restoration of the painting, if something like that can even be done. Her family needs to keep an eye on her, letting an old woman with dementia just run around on her own can lead to some bad situations, as seen here. Hopefully whatever she used to paint over the original painting can be removed without destroying the original, otherwise I guess the original is just history.
Of course the priest in charge of the church knew what she was doing and didn't stopped her.
that paint of the mock last supper is hilarious!!
People, this painting means nothing. It is just someones depiction of Jesus Christ's Last Supper with His Apostles, but people are taking this opportunity to ridicule not the painting itself, but what the painting was truly revealing. The Love of God through His Son Jesus Christ, that is what people are trying to laugh at. I said it before people and I will say it again, "This painting means nothing" so in your innermost thoughts of mockery and insults is just fruitless darts of vainness.
I don't understand why people who's worldview is invalidated every day by science, by simply observing the world in which they exist - why these people would be upset that the fresco does not look like an accurate representation of their "savior".
Three Blind Mice and granny farmers wife painted a gay Eskimo that just got slapped in the chops with a flounder wow! what did she do for a living when she was young? pack sugar and cream packets at the goodwill ?!
Poor Jeebus, He got the new jersey makeover, and looks like Snookie's grampa now...bummer, dude
Three Blind Mice and granny farmers wife painted a Zombie Eskimo that just got slapped in the chops with a flounder wow! what did she do for a living when she was young? tatooing instructor at the Ray Charles school of skin art??!
Poor Jeebus, He got the new jersey makeover, and looks like Snookie's grampa now...bummer, dude
she really did a number on that fresco
The whole world is a critic.
Shame on you church for making a church a public display of ridicule. Not that it hasn't been done before, but because now the church itself within itself is promoting ridicule. This painting stands for nothing, because it is just a painting, a man made object, but it has a deeper meaning because it portrays one of the most sacred events that people still practice today. The church is profiting from a mistake (if it by any measure was a mistake) that is promoting ridicule and an opportunity for the public of nonbelievers to ridicule or take shots at Our Lord Jesus Christ's Last Supper. I could care less about the painting, but more so that the church itself is promoting this botched up painting as a tourist attraction. May the Peace and the Love of Our Lord Jesus Christ be with you, for those that seek Him.
People aren't ridiculing Jesus Christ, they are witnessing the ruin of a beautiful painting. If you worship an image of God you have an idol. You're way off base jm. It's just a painting.
Picasso destroyed the portrait of our beloved leader, Stalin. Now, someone destroyed the portrait of our beloved father, JC. Prince Harry appears naked. No more respect ; it's all the fault of Obama, his father and grand-father. Vote Romney.
The connection of ape to the unfortunate remake is just an insult. She clearly wasn't attempting to paint an ape as the only similiarity is in the shape of the head (because of the crown of thorns not the actual cranium). People are desperate to tie the value of religion in with the value of the art which is foolish. The quality of the painting and the value are independent of the content. It was a beautiful painting rich in historical value, irreplacable and now while interesting, is an abstract piece worth a mere fraction of the original. I suspect there may have been motivation to ruin it based on the total obvious obliteration but that can't be proven. I don't think there was any intention to tie in some arbitrary evolutionary statement into the act, however.
This story is hilarious. Reminds me of the SEINFELD episode where George tries to erase his boss' face in a beach picture and then has a friend redraw it in with a pencil !
There is something almost "endearing" about the restoration. The original was beautiful, but we don't know what Jesus looked like anyway.
As states the opener to this article:
"By 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."
Perhaps she thought no one else cared about the painting after "decades of damage and neglect". Obviously it had value for her that had nothing to do with the technical ability of the painter.
"Bless her heart" --and I say that in the kindest way possible.
No one really knows how Christ really looked like. So he looks just fine to me ! (Who cares ?)