Peter Michal Bohúň a jeho sakrálna tvorba: stratégie a realita
Peter Michal Bohúň and his religious writings: strategies and reality

Summary/Abstract: The Slovak painter, photographer, and nationalist Peter Michal Bohúň (1822 – 1879) was a sought-after portraitist of his generation with good connections – especially with the Evangelical intelligentsia. One of the less researched topics with regards to his oeuvre are religious paintings commissioned for churches. The artist accepted the commissions predominantly for financial reasons. Based on the preserved materials – altar paintings he created mainly for Evangelical churches in the villages of Bátovce, Dovalovo, Krivá, Lovinobaňa, Lučivná, Mengusovce, Mládzovo, Partizánska Ľupča, and Veličná and in the town of Ružomberok –, his contribution to the development of 19th-century religious art on the territory of Slovakia can be studied. The article concentrates on P. M. Bohúň’s strategies with regards to the choice of themes for individual churches and on the communication with the parishes and Evangelical personalities of the day. As a case study, the article discusses the commission for the Evangelical church in Bátovce. Communication between the artist and the priest Pavol Gerengay (1825 – 1895) sheds light on the period strategies of commissioning altar paintings.

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