Triegel Meets Cranach - Painting in the Flux of Time 
A film by Paul Smaczny

Lucas Cranach's altarpiece of the Virgin Mary in Naumburg Cathedral was destroyed in 1541, with only the side wings remaining intact. The United Cathedral Foundations commissioned Michael Triegel to reconstruct it. The film accompanies him over several years in his studio and on his travels, showing the creative process in detail and painting a personal portrait that offers insight into Triegel's inner world and artistic self-image.

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Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 7 February 2026:
"TRIEGEL MEETS CRANACH is a masterful film. One cannot come closer to the artistic process than with this film. […] Paul Smaczny’s film is the most fervent homage to the energeia of painting since Henri-Georges Clouzot, in The Mystery of Picasso (1956), filmed the artist painting on a pane of glass from the other side."

In 1541, the Marian Altar by Lucas Cranach the Elder in Naumburg Cathedral fell victim to the iconoclasm. The reformer Nikolaus Medler, accompanied by Naumburg butchers’ apprentices, forced his way into the cathedral and destroyed the central panel. Only the side wings survived.

In 2018, the Cathedral Chapter decided to reconstruct the altar within the UNESCO World Heritage site. The Leipzig-based painter Michael Triegel was commissioned to undertake the work.

For the first time, Michael Triegel allowed a film crew to observe his creative process at close quarters and to accompany him on his travels in search of ideas and inspiration. Over several years, a comprehensive documentation of his most ambitious work to date took shape — a project he began painting in 2020.

The central part of the film is set in Triegel’s studio. There, the camera alternates between moments of quiet observation — following the painting process in meticulous detail — and Triegel’s personal reflections on his artistic stance and philosophical outlook.

Shortly before the completion of the work, UNESCO raises concerns about the altar. For a long time, it remains uncertain whether it will be allowed to stay in its intended place in the cathedral’s west choir. The cathedral parish and the Cathedral Chapter continue to hope for a lasting solution - yet on July 1, 2025, UNESCO orders its immediate and permanent removal.

The film refrains from external commentary; apart from a few brief exchanges, Triegel alone speaks. Thus, it becomes not only a documentation of a work of art, but also an intimate portrait that offers a glimpse into the artist’s inner world — his artistic vision and his human self-understanding.