Bordering Zurich to the north, the Roman Catholic St. Anne's Church from 1955-1956 stands out among similar works in the canton as one of the most interesting religious-themed realisations in the oeuvre of Jan Janczak (b. 1938). The artist first realised for the local parish - in 1982. - for the local parish, first - in 1982 - the altar 'History of Salvation' and the narrow stained glass window 'Magnificat', and then - more than a quarter of a century later - he placed a series of stained glass windows referring to the 'History of Creation'. These actions were related to an attempt to modernise the interior of the building following the rebuilding of the roof of the concrete structure in the 1980s, necessary to reduce the noise emissions of the nearby airport.

Iconography of the 'History of Salvation' altarpiece

As a result, the original furnishings, including the altarpiece, were removed from the church. Its place was taken by a pentaptych (an altarpiece consisting of a central image and two pairs of wings, one of which is stationary) painted on commission by Janczak.

The central panel of the altarpiece is filled with meticulously executed scenes of the scourging by the torturers, the Stations of the Cross and the crucifixion of Christ. The lower part of the composition is occupied by the Pieta - an image of the mourning Virgin Mary holding the body of her dead son on her lap.

During Lent, the moving wings are closed. The viewers then see the reverse of the pair of inner wings with the scene of the crossing of the Red Sea on the left and Jacob's struggle with God and his dream on the right.

During the rest of the year, the ceremonial opening of the polyptych takes place. The main panel of the altarpiece is then revealed, along with a series of four scenes forming the story of Salvation, the narrative of which extends in a zonal pattern towards the reading across the entire width of the settee. These are depictions of the Tower of Babel, the calling of Abraham, King David in the Kingdom of Peace, the healing of the bent woman and the breaking of bread (in line with Lk 24:13-35 and Acts 2:42-47).

Medieval inspirations

The composition of the pentaptych was inspired by medieval painting - the work of Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1450-1516) and Petr Brueghel the Elder (1525-1529) - which manifests itself, among other things, in the accumulation of details, irrational themes and figures (especially depictions of musicians).

Stained-glass windows from the 'History of Creation' series

Many years after this project, the parish authorities approached Janczak again. As a result, in 2008 the artist realised stained glass windows in four monumental rectangular niches in the nave of the church. Incorporating the glass compositions into the interior required interference with the original decoration design.

The date of the stained glass windows' creation situates them in a period of the artist's work in which his formal and iconographic interests underwent significant changes: since the beginning of the 21st century, Janczak has concentrated on surreal compositions, in which he places women at the centre.

The four nearly 2-metre-high glass compositions in St Anne's Church depict scenes from the Book of Genesis: the creation of heaven and earth (including the separation of light from darkness, waters from dry surfaces), animals, plants and humans.

While in the first one the artist concentrated on the creation of the elements, creating a sublime composition based on strong colour contrasts, in the next two stained glass windows slender images of individual specimens of species of flora and fauna take the lead. The last composition shows Adam and Eve naked, floating in a loving embrace. Their hands intertwine on the woman's bosom, partially obscuring her supposedly shameful nakedness. This gesture, together with the urban setting, is an allusion to original sin and its aftermath - banishment from Paradise. Evidence of the woman's identity is her long, thick hair and her emphasised naked breasts, which finds counterparts in numerous representations of Eve from the medieval period onwards. Thin layers of paint give her iridescent skin an impression of smoothness. The formal qualities of the painting evoke pleasure in the viewer in a way reminiscent of an erotic experience. Although similar depictions enjoy considerable popularity today, they are not often found in church spaces. Janczak's realisation, woven into the austere architecture, is a voice in the discussion that has been going on for many decades about the return to traditional iconography and the place of erotic representation in sacred space, what should be considered forbidden or censored in it.