Redemption Mural
The mural Redemption is located at Houghton University in western New York State, in the foyer of the John and Charles Wesley Chapel. H. Willard Ortlip, in partnership with his wife, Aimée E. Ortlip, painted the 160-foot mural. They completed it in 1960 and mounted it with the assistance of son and artist Paul D. Ortlip.
Redemption depicts scenes from the Bible from Genesis to the Book of Revelation, plus a sequence of images of early Christian martyrs and reformers and the history of Houghton University.
Join Dr. Paul Shea (Grandson of H. Willard and Aimée), Emeritus Professor of Missions and Intercultural Studies, as he walks us through the mural Redemption in a short 11 minute video.
Redemption Mural - Panel Review
For a more detailed view of the mural, the following section has still shots of each scene depicted.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
The mural opens with the creation story, followed by Adam and Eve’s banishment from the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 1-3)
More scenes from the Book of Genesis follow: Cain and Abel, Noah and the Great Flood, Abraham and Isaac, key moments from the life of Jacob, and Joseph rising to prominence in Egypt.
The account of Moses's life from the Book of Exodus appears next, followed by the Old Testament judges, kings, and prophets.
The mural turns now to the New Testament, beginning with the birth of Jesus and scenes from his life and ministry as recorded in the Gospels. We next see Christ’s crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension to Heaven.
From the Acts of the Apostles we see the day of Pentecost; the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr; and the conversion of the apostle Paul on the road to Damascus.
The artist interrupts the biblical narrative to depict scenes from history—Christian martyrs and reformers. Houghton University being affiliated with the Wesleyan Church, the next scene spotlights John Wesley and itinerant evangelist Francis Asbury. The founding of the school is portrayed next, from the local canal boatman who prayed for the community to the first presidents of the college.
The mural then returns to the biblical prophecies yet to be fulfilled, Christ’s Second Coming and events foretold by John in the Book of Revelation. “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” (Revelation 21)
