Posted by MadScientist (Düsseldorf, Germany) on 24 January 2008 in Art & Design and Portfolio.
This trompe l'œil ceiling can be found in the second most important Jesuit church in Rome, Sant'Ignazio, where the founder of the Society of Jesus, Ignatius of Loyola, is glorified. The painting by Andrea Pozzo (1685) makes you believe that you're looking right into heaven, where Ignatius receives his epiphany (symbolized by light rays) and gets 'ignited' (hence his name). The then known parts of the world (located in the corners) are witnessing the scene. The beholder's eye moves immediately to Ignatius, though the Lord is exactly in the midst of the scene. This is a beautiful example of baroque illusionist painting. I'll present more detail shots of this one in the near future.
Wow, this one is awesome! Nice capture!
24 Jan 2008 1:18am
@Ina: Thank you! Except some image rotation I did no post-processing, the light in the church was quite right :)
It is a glorious painting indeed.
24 Jan 2008 2:32am
@Michael Skorulski: The impression of looking into an open sky is indeed overwhelming, the only church I found even more spectacular was Il Gesú.
Marvelous! Simply marvelous!
24 Jan 2008 2:41am
@Craiger: It is! Interestingly, these churches look rather plain from the outside (except from the portal). The glory is indoors, a completely different concept from Gothic churches that broadcast their impression both externally and internally.
This is outstanding!
24 Jan 2008 4:23am
@Steven: And it is just the second most important Jesuit church :)
nice shot. i hadn't realized how 3-dimensional those paintings could look.
24 Jan 2008 11:49am
@danthro: The effect is remarkable - these paintings are quite large and cover the whole ceiling.
Was soll man dazu noch sagen? Bin ein wenig sprachlos. KLASSE!
24 Jan 2008 2:07pm
@Michael: Ja, die Barockmaler hatten's schon drauf :) Und die Jesuiten konnten es sich leisten. Aber im direkten Vergleich zur Hauptkirche (Il Gesú) erscheint Sant'Ignacio geradezu schlicht.
That is an amazing painting! and a wonderful shot
24 Jan 2008 8:01pm
@EjHowarth: Having seen this I wondered if I should try something like this at home, but I eventually refrained from doing so :-)
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