Friedrich Overbeck & Franz Pforr

Two very influential artists emerging from Germany were Friedrich Overbeck and Franz Pforr.  They were influential in the movement of art from the years of 1810-1840 and used Catholicism to inspire their paintings. The two of them formed the Nazarenes movement, an anticlassicism in which they revived the art of fresco painting. Fresco painting is a method of painting water-based pigments on freshly applied plaster, usually on wall surfaces.  The colors dry and set with the plaster to become a permanent part of the wall.  It's ideal for making murals because it's durable, and has a matte surface.


The image below depicts a fresco painting (see how the cracks are cracks in the ceiling rather than simply dry paint.



The reasons being for why their work was SO SIGNIFICANT is they were using their artwork for more than mere enjoyment.  They were using their art as a way of communicating/teaching to the general public.  They related their work of art to the church (Catholicism) and their country.  


Friedrich Overbeck was the leader of the Nazarenes and they contributed to the romanticism era by painting religious subjects using clear and vivid colors with precise outlines in all their paintings.
You may view a few of the well known paintings here:     http://www.all-art.org/neoclasscism/overbeck1.html