The new Procession of the Princes, a theme of contemporary art.

It has been one of his most ambitious projects since his arrival in Dresden in 2016, to paint the Procession of the Princes from a contemporary perspective.

Specifically since 2018, the artist Esteban Velazquez von Wilhelm has spent hours photographing the famous porcelain mural of Dresden and at the same time reading about historical and anecdotal aspects related to the regents of the house of Wettin who star in the elegant procession, with the intention of recreating the famous mural of the Saxon regents with his well-known energetic brushstroke and his somewhat satirical way of depicting characters in his paintings.
Only the unavailability of a suitable space and the lack of easy access to funding had so far always put off his not at all modest project.

Von Wilhelm argues as he picks up a series of preparatory sketches from the table: "It is an ambitious project that goes beyond pictorial 
representation. I can't get rid of my studies as a historian. My painting always contains a discourse with encrypted arguments. Even if I only make a brushstroke of pasty paint, my painting has to contain a complex history and this requires more than a technical ability to paint"

Evidently there is much more than that in his artistic work; there is a rigorous process of documentary research, but there is also love and dedication for the cultural history of the city that welcomed him and that has allowed him to be freely what he always dreamed of being: a pure artist. And it is with this discursive proposal of the new Procession of the Princes that the painter begins to work this year.

The complete production of this new interpretation of the Procession of the Princes will be 102 metres long, exactly the same as the original, and will consist of 51 large-format 300 x 200 paintings, produced in a mixed technique including oil, resin, acrylic and textile. According to Von Wilhelm's plans, the total execution of the ensemble will take place in different stages, in small independent projects, due to the great challenge for the artist in terms of costs and also the availability of a production and storage workshop to accommodate all parts of this work of art in full. "But conceiving this work as different separate projects is also possible because in each section of the large mural different historical periods are exposed, which allows us to understand this great work of art first in a fractional way and then as a whole" (so von Wilhelm 2022).
It is under this criterion that the first project has been conceived, in which three paintings will be executed under the title Von Wilhelms "Furstenzug 2022: Conrad's legacy in the hands of the heir". In his paintings he tells how Otto the Rich deals with his father's legacy through a series of symbolisms that are to be shown in the painting.
"I have approached this project as a historical saga, like a fable with many books, some panels will recount happy episodes and enlightened characters from Saxon history, but in others we will inevitably have to look at dark moments and courtiers", says the artist.

Precisely this first stage of the work's execution will begin on 23 November 2022 in the framework of the Palais Winter cultural event at Golden Horseman (Hauptstraße am Goldenen Reiter), as a public Open Air Painting show.

The artist will produce here the first three paintings showing the portraits of: Conrad the Great 1127 - 1156, Otto the Rich 1156 - 1190, and part of the portrait of Albert the Proud 1190 - 1195.

"The theme of the Procession of the Princes could be much more than a commemorative image. With this theme we can actually evoke the history of Saxony if we understand the role of each of its rulers in their particular historical period, the social and cultural context that surrounded them, and even their anecdotal memory, in order to offer a look at these references from our present time," explains the historian and painter.

Von Wilhelm appropriates the historical iconography of power, adapts it to his language, transforming it, contemporising all the ancient symbolism, creating his own language that puts us in front of a new discourse. It is only a question of waiting to see how the execution of this work of art evolves, which the artist has assumed as a commitment of reciprocity and admiration for the city that is now his new homeland. 

O. Soto
Art critic