jOHANNES WENINGER

Johannes Weninger     German-American artist Johannes Weninger began his journey as an artist while growing up in the foothills of Northern California. He developed his skills by participating in many workshops and drawing groups and obtained his formal artistic education in San Francisco specializing in the human figure and portraiture. Inspired by the art of the old masters of the Italian Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical period, Weninger is naturally gifted in sensitive portraiture using oils, acrylic, and watercolor, he has been a private artist producing pieces close to his heart.

His love of art led him to take up stone carving and masonry which eventually led him to Luxor to work on the restoration of its ancient monuments. He has worked there for almost a decade with the Epigraphic Survey of the University of Chicago. While in Luxor Weninger became inspired by the rugged beauty of the desert and the lush Nile River valley, by the ancient monuments, but foremost by the people that inhabit the area around them who become his friends and neighbors.

His latest work is inspired by Egyptian history and the discoveries of Tutankhamun’s tomb, paintings which are in celebration of the centennial. It is a pleasure for Luxor Art Gallery to share Weninger’s paintings in our Tutankhamun Celebration Exhibit, November 2022.

Featured
JOHANNES WENINGER Head of Nefertem Emerging from Lotus Acrylic on Canvas, 45x30cm $750 USD Painting depicts my impression of the wooden head of Tutankhamun emerging from a Lotus Flower, also called the Head of Nefertem (JE 60723). This is one o

JOHANNES WENINGER

Head of Nefertem Emerging from Lotus

Acrylic on Canvas, 45x30cm

$750 USD

Painting depicts my impression of the wooden head of Tutankhamun emerging from a Lotus Flower, also called the Head of Nefertem (JE 60723). This is one of my favorite objects discovered in Tutankhamun’s tomb, showing the young king superbly carved in wood and covered with painted stucco. I am also a carver and appreciate the quality of craftsmanship and love the artist put into this piece more than 3000 years ago. I found this object equally beautiful as intriguing, since the connection of the king with the god Nefertem and the lotus flower has very strong symbolism. Looking at the sculpted head I can easily imagine the head of the king emerging from the opened lotus that floated up on the primordial water when the world was created. The head has unsurprisingly suffered losses over the years, but in this painting we can get an idea of what it would have looked like when it was new.

JOHANNES WENINGER Boy with a Necklace Acrylic on Canvas, 40x30cm $850 USD The painting depicts an Egyptian boy “The water boy” wearing the necklace of the Sun of the Eastern Horizon from Tutankhamun’s tomb. This boy who achieved fame through a s

JOHANNES WENINGER

Boy with a Necklace

Acrylic on Canvas, 40x30cm

$850 USD

The painting depicts an Egyptian boy “The water boy” wearing the necklace of the Sun of the Eastern Horizon from Tutankhamun’s tomb. This boy who achieved fame through a story that stated he inadvertently discovered Tut’s tomb while working in the Valley of the Kings. He is said to have planted the pointed end of his clay water jug into the gravel ground and struck a stone that belonged to the tomb. The face of this boy, who is frequently referred to as “the water boy” reminds me of many boys I have encountered in Egypt. By painting this young face so full of expression I deliberately wanted to show that the discovery of the tomb was also made by Egyptians, by the close inhabitants of the pharaonic civilization whose houses frequently stood on top of its ruins. It made me wonder what he felt when he was chosen to adorn the necklace that another boy, who happened to be a king, wore more than 3 thousand years before.

JOHANNES WENINGER Tutankhamun Necklace Acrylic on Canvas, 45x25cm $800 USD This painting depicts the necklace of the Sun of the Eastern Horizon found in Tutankhamun’s tomb. It is the same necklace worn by the “water boy”, another of my paintings

JOHANNES WENINGER

Tutankhamun Necklace

Acrylic on Canvas, 45x25cm

$800 USD

This painting depicts the necklace of the Sun of the Eastern Horizon found in Tutankhamun’s tomb. It is the same necklace worn by the “water boy”, another of my paintings, and while there the portrait of the boy is the main subject, I decided that the beautiful craftsmanship of the necklace deserved attention as well. I wanted to show the metaphoric connection between the object and the boy and the king-boy to whom the necklace originally belonged. I feel the invisible bond of those two young men who wore it on two very different occasions, a bond made by the power of the object that unexpectedly entangled their fate. The photo of the “water boy” and the necklace permanently became part of the history of the discovery of Tut’s tomb. And now, after more than 3000 years, both the boy and the boy king are part of Egyptian heritage.

JOHANNES WENINGER Like a Phoenix from the Ashes Acrylic on Canvas, 60x45cm $1,250 USD The present painting was inspired by few photos of Henry Burton that shows of the stages of the uncovering of the Funerary Mask of Tutankhamun (JE 60672), the

JOHANNES WENINGER

Like a Phoenix from the Ashes

Acrylic on Canvas, 60x45cm

$1,250 USD

The present painting was inspired by few photos of Henry Burton that shows of the stages of the uncovering of the Funerary Mask of Tutankhamun (JE 60672), the most iconic object of “Tutankhamun’s treasures.” The mask of Tutankhamun, probably the most famous icon of Ancient Egypt in the modern world. It was inspirational to see the set of photographs that show how the mask and the mummy itself were gradually uncovered. I was especially inspired by the photo that shows the moment the linen shroud that covered the coffin was raised and folded around the head. When garlands with flowers are still seen on the mummy. I felt that those organic remains allowed me to witness the moment the king was buried, and to get a sense of the process of a royal burial along with the less permanent materials we miss when we admire the magnificence of a royal coffin in a museum. When Carter discovered Tut and presented him to the world he truly rose like a sphinx from the ashes and gained immortality. It is this act of uncovering Tutankhamun’s face that I wanted to perpetuate. Being yet another person who helped his ka achieve immortality.

JOHANNES WENINGER Carrying Tutankhamun Acrylic on Canvas, 60x45cm $1,350 USD This painting depicts an Egyptian workman, holding the “mannequin” of Tutankhamun (JE 60722) a life-sized model of a torso and the head of the king. I found it inspirin

JOHANNES WENINGER

Carrying Tutankhamun

Acrylic on Canvas, 60x45cm

$1,350 USD

This painting depicts an Egyptian workman, holding the “mannequin” of Tutankhamun (JE 60722) a life-sized model of a torso and the head of the king. I found it inspiring to see a contemporary Egyptian carrying the bust of the king of his ancestors. I felt as if historic boundaries suddenly blurred and no longer existed. The photograph that was possibly taken by Arthur Mace and published in a recent book by Christina Riggs “Photographing Tutankhamun” served as the inspiration for this painting. It originally had more figures, but I choose to paint just one and the bust, to show the almost intimate relationship of a man and the bust of the king. By painting this scene, I wanted to capture the long-lasting relation between people who have lived, and live among Luxors ancient ruins, tombs, and temples. The people who are the descendants of Ancient Egypt. Looking at the various depictions of Tutankhamun I constantly see the faces of my colleagues and neighbors with whom I share my life in Luxor.

JOHANNES WENINGER Carter and Carnarvon Acrylic on Canvas, 60x45cm Request Price from Luxor Art Gallery This painting is inspired by a photo taken by Harry Burton, the photographer of Tutankhamun’s expedition (Burton P0291). The photo that depic

JOHANNES WENINGER

Carter and Carnarvon

Acrylic on Canvas, 60x45cm

Request Price from Luxor Art Gallery

This painting is inspired by a photo taken by Harry Burton, the photographer of Tutankhamun’s expedition (Burton P0291). The photo that depicts the archeologist and the lord who sponsored the expedition documents the day that Tutankhamun’s burial chamber was opened, 16 February 1923. The photo was taken shortly before Carnarvon died on the 5th of April, 1923, supposedly from an infected mosquito bite. His death led various newspapers to speculate about “the curse of the pharaohs”, a headline of many newspapers at the time. Regardless if one believes in the pharaohs curse or not, this photo documents the moment before the opening of the chamber where the king was buried, and thus, the moment when the curse would have come into effect. The mystery, excitement, and curiosity must have been overwhelming for both men, and surely the rest of the team. This important event inspired me to translate the photo into a painting, to depict the faces of two men who soon would see the face of the boy-king. The first to do so in over 3000 years.