,
New York City,'' c. 1859 After his education in
Nuremberg and
Munich, Oertel began engraving, which he continued until 1848. In 1849, he relocated to the United States and taught briefly in
Newark, New Jersey. After his marriage, he engraved plates for bank notes, painted portraits, and colored photographs. In 1857, Oertel moved to
Madison, New Jersey, where he painted
Lament of the Fallen Spirits and
Redemption. Around this time, he was invited to assist in preparing new decorations for the new
United States Capitol that was then under construction in
Washington, D.C. In 1861, he transferred his studio to
Westerly, Rhode Island, where he painted
Father Time and his Family and
The Final Harvest (1862),
The Dispensation of the Promise and the Law (including 150 figures, 1863),
Walk to Emmaus, The Walk to Gethsemane, Easter Morning, Magdalen at the Sepulchre, The Rock of Ages, and others (1868). His painting
Rock of Ages became enormously popular and was reproduced in millions of photographs and
chromolithographs and sold in both the U.S. and England.
American Civil War During the
American Civil War, Oertel accompanied the
Army of Virginia under
General Burnside for several months in 1862.
St James Episcopal Church The Rev. Johannes Oertel served as the priest of St James Episcopal Church in
Lenoir, North Carolina, from 1869 to 1874. He was one of the first in the valley to offer a school for African American children, and offered religious services to those recently freed from slavery, including baptism, confirmation, marriage and funeral rites. The
reredos in front of the church is an outstanding example of Oertel's woodworking skills. Made from over 400 pieces of chestnut, oak, poplar, holly, cherry, beech, and pine that were often carved during missionary trips to the Chapel of Rest in Happy Valley, North Carolina and the Chapel of Peace in Witnel, North Carolina, they are carved in
Gothic perpendicular style, which was common from the 14th and 16th centuries. Oertel carved other reredos and altar rails, but the one in St. James Episcopal Church is considered to be his most intricate and notable. His altar painting there (1872) is layered oil on canvass with gold gilt, and depicts
Jesus administering Holy Communion to male and female communicants. While at St. James, friends in
New York donated to Oertel a 100-year-old pump organ from
Christ Episcopal Church in
Tarrytown, New York. The organ, dating to about 1770, was the first instrument to enhance the service in Lenoir. Oertel rebuilt the damaged organ, making new pipes, and a new wind chest and bellows. He then carved an illuminated case for the organ works. By the main church door of the church is
Father Time and His Family, (1862, charcoal and pen on paper), which was completed in
Westerly, Rhode Island. It depicts
Father Time, his wife (the year), and their children (the months). Each child carries an item from the
Cornucopia representative of their respective month. A collection of Oertel's art is held by the church, and includes:
The Wandering Jew (1902?, oil on canvas);
Capturing Wild Horses (print);
Founded Upon a Rock (1900, oil on canvas);
Rock of Ages (offset lithography),
Man Rowing Out on the Sea of Life With Christ as Pilot (1880, oil on canvas),
In Memorium (between 1880 and 1900, oil on canvas board),
Christian Hope (1867, oil on canvas),
Head of St Paul (oil on canvas, unknown date),
Expulsion from the Garden of Eden (1893, oil on canvas),
Prophecy of Balaam (1891, monochrome oil on canvas),
The Four Evangelists (1884, monochrome oil on canvas),
Lament of the Fallen Spirits (1850, oil on canvas),
Mary Magdalene at the Cross (ca 1902, oil on canvas),
The Good Shepherd (1878, oil on canvas),
The Prophet Jeremiah (oil on canvas, unknown date);
The King of Truth; (1903, oil on canvas),
The Prophet Joel"; The Prophet Ezekiel,
The Prophet Isaiah,
The Unknown Prophet, and
The Dispensation of Promise and the Law (1864-1865, chalk and ink on linen-backed paper). Oertel had charge of two parishes, both located in
Lenoir, North Carolina, until 1876. He relocated a great deal as a priest, spending time in
Florida,
Maryland,
St. Louis,
Tennessee,
Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
Portrait painter Oertel was known primarily as a portrait painter. He often left the church in Lenoir, North Carolina, to go north to earn money by painting portraits. Many of his head and bust portraits were popular after the
Civil War. He painted portraits for a number of prosperous clients in
New England. He painted a portrait of the mayor of
Providence, Rhode Island,
Thomas A. Doyle as a young man. Oertel is completed a painting of
Paul the Apostle, which is held today by St. James Episcopal Church and depicts St. Paul as weary but stern.
Academia Oertel was an instructor of art at
Washington University in St. Louis from 1889 to 1891. He spent the final 18 years of his life in a suburb of Washington, D.C., where he completed many religious paintings and wood carvings. He painted a series of four large pictures,
The Plan of Redemption, which he presented to
Sewanee in Tennessee, which is now the University of the South. Oertel's last major work was in 1906–07, when he painted and designed the new woodwork for the altarpiece of the Cathedral at
Quincy, Illinois. ==Personal life==