Referencing Tradition: Scenic Wallpaper | Peter Engelsmann

Antique wallpaper as inspiration for original mural art design

Vintage hand-made wallpaper never goes out of style. Many antique scenic and chinoiserie wallpaper designs have inspired some recent murals I’ve created. I often get requests to do custom artwork in the style of classic Chinese, French or English hand-painted or block printed murals from companies like Zuber, Dufour and DeGournay. I look to these classic scenic panoramas, fantastical landscapes or chinoiserie panels for examples of the craftsmanship and tradition which lie at the crossroads of decoration and fine-art.

Many of these classic wall coverings have graced the walls of historic homes and other spaces. Originally a less expensive version of hand-woven tapestries, Chinese hand-painted papers were initially brought back to Europe by the East India Trading company in the mid-17th century, and often assembled into larger wall installations. As they became more popular in the 18th century, Chinese artisans were producing hand-painted papers for consumers in England.

Zuber and Dufour began producing scenic wallpapers around 1800 using the block-printing method, rooted more in the European tradition of panoramic oil paintings. Although a different aesthetic than the hand-painted papers and scrolls of the Chinese style, both types of wallpapers were often made in factory studios where dozens of artists and artisans, often in an assembly-line process, specialized in different details; flowers, trees or birds, and replicated original designs. Original whole-room examples of these vintage papers sell at auction for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some of these hand-made papers are still in production today.

I’ve drawn inspiration from many of these classic designs and techniques for my own original mural art projects. Often these vintage wallpapers blend realism with a stylized decorative sensibility. While still beautifully rendered artworks, the imagery of these wallpapers was designed to be appropriate for decorative applications, like dining-rooms, parlors or other gathering spaces. The most famous vintage block-printed panels were often depictions of exotic places with a combination of natural beauty and architectural elements, often populated by people and animals. The whole-room designs maintain a consistent scale and balanced composition with a tasteful palette of colors.

Misty Marsh Dining Room mural by Peter Engelsmann

My goal has been to expand upon this classic tradition, creating original art pieces that reference this visual legacy, yet create something new. These murals attempt to understand this history, but transform it and create unique paintings that are specific to the spaces for which they are designed. “Tropical Landscape Dining Room” relates to many of the Zuber panoramics, while also striving for a style that is uniquely my own. “Misty Marsh” dining room mural also borrows from the stylized atmospherics of many of these historic designs, but is different in it’s scale and detailing. Particularly in the trees, where I forgo the block-printed look in favor of wet blending and abstract organic forms. Other pieces have been painted in the style of the classic Chinosierie tree and bird designs by DeGournay and others.

These painted rooms attempt to pay homage to the tradition of classic wallpaper design and technique, yet exist as original art pieces, uniquely created for their surroundings.