The Baroque Period and Padre Pazzo
Ciao della Roma!
It is hard to believe that four days from today I will be back home in New Orleans! Luckily, we got to spend this past week exploring one of the most interesting periods of art history in Rome - The Baroque period. The term Baroque describes an art period which originates in Rome and spanned through 1590-1720. After the idealized forms which dominated the Reinnasanse and the more complex figure structures and poses of Mannerism, Baroque was meant to represent the desire of the Catholic Church in Rome (as annunciated at the Council of Trent, 1545-63) which dealt with the religious tensions between the Protestants and the Catholics. Baroque was meant to be a spectacle and a theater. It emphasized drama as a way of devotion in order to showcase the brilliance and majesty of the Catholic Church against the heretical Protestants.
The Tomb of St. Ignacious hosts two statues meant to represent this over the top glorification of the Catholic church. Faith Lashing Heresy and Religion Trampling Paganism are considered confrontational art because they meant to attack the reformers in a way what displays the majesty of the Catholic Church ad also represents the mission of the Jesuits to defend the church and papacy against the heretics.
The statue pictured above is Pietro Le Gros' Faith Lashing heresy which was completed between 1695-99. The statue depicts the female Faith casting both a male and female character (presumably heretics) out of heaven with a lightning bolt. Faith is seemingly lashing these figures with the either the bolt, or the cross, or maybe both. To the bottom left of Faith, an angel is ripping the pages of Martin Luther's heretical writings and casting the pages to the side.
While we were at the Gesu last Wednesday, we were also given a special opportunity to view the magnificent macchina barocca or conversion machine of Andrea Pozzo. (It is worth noting that Andrea Pozzo designed the entire tomb of St. Ignatius.) The painting that hangs above the tomb of the great Saint is usually only on display during the day, and the statue would be revealed at night around 17:30 to the fan fair of religious music. We did not have music accompanying the spectacle but it was still an incredible feat to witness with one's own eyes
The original statue of the Saint was made of pure silver, but unfortunately, it was melted down to pay taxes to Napoleon. It has been replaced with a stucco replica covered with silver foil, but it is still stunning. It was bejeweled with precious jewels such as ruby, emerald, lapis lazuli ext. These stones have also been replaced with fakes but one would not be able to tell that this is the case unless told otherwise.
Andrea Pozzo (sometimes called Padre Pozzo) also painted the ceiling of another Jesuit church, the Chiesa di Sant' Ignazio. Andrea Pozzo was an Italian Jesuit Brother, Baroque painter and architect, decorator, stage designer, and art theoretician. He was best known for his grandiose frescoes using an illusionistic technique called quadratura, in which perspective tools such as foreshortening, and other spatial effects are used to create the illusion of three-dimensional space on a flat surface. Astonishingly, this is what Pozzo accomplished in the Sant' Ignazio
This illusionist dome is a part of a larger fresco done by Padre Pozzo entitled The Apotheosis of St Ignatius completed between 1688-94. As the church was dedicated to Saint Ignatius, his apotheosis was the most appropriate subject for the ceiling fresco.
The ceiling fresco depicts the work of Saint Ignatius and the Society of Jesus; shows Saint Ignatius entering Paradise, being welcomed by Christ and the Virgin Mary; and also celebrates the work of Jesuit missionaries on four continents. In addition to the nave ceiling fresco, Pozzo completed three fresco paintings in the apse that surround the high altar - Saint Ignatius Loyola experiencing his vision at La Storta; sending St Francis Xavier, who was one of Ignacious' original companions, to the Indies; and greeting St Francesco Borgia, who was the 3rd grand superior of the Society of Jesus.
That's all for now! Until next week :)
Ciao
It is hard to believe that four days from today I will be back home in New Orleans! Luckily, we got to spend this past week exploring one of the most interesting periods of art history in Rome - The Baroque period. The term Baroque describes an art period which originates in Rome and spanned through 1590-1720. After the idealized forms which dominated the Reinnasanse and the more complex figure structures and poses of Mannerism, Baroque was meant to represent the desire of the Catholic Church in Rome (as annunciated at the Council of Trent, 1545-63) which dealt with the religious tensions between the Protestants and the Catholics. Baroque was meant to be a spectacle and a theater. It emphasized drama as a way of devotion in order to showcase the brilliance and majesty of the Catholic Church against the heretical Protestants.
The Tomb of St. Ignacious hosts two statues meant to represent this over the top glorification of the Catholic church. Faith Lashing Heresy and Religion Trampling Paganism are considered confrontational art because they meant to attack the reformers in a way what displays the majesty of the Catholic Church ad also represents the mission of the Jesuits to defend the church and papacy against the heretics.
The statue pictured above is Pietro Le Gros' Faith Lashing heresy which was completed between 1695-99. The statue depicts the female Faith casting both a male and female character (presumably heretics) out of heaven with a lightning bolt. Faith is seemingly lashing these figures with the either the bolt, or the cross, or maybe both. To the bottom left of Faith, an angel is ripping the pages of Martin Luther's heretical writings and casting the pages to the side.
While we were at the Gesu last Wednesday, we were also given a special opportunity to view the magnificent macchina barocca or conversion machine of Andrea Pozzo. (It is worth noting that Andrea Pozzo designed the entire tomb of St. Ignatius.) The painting that hangs above the tomb of the great Saint is usually only on display during the day, and the statue would be revealed at night around 17:30 to the fan fair of religious music. We did not have music accompanying the spectacle but it was still an incredible feat to witness with one's own eyes
The original statue of the Saint was made of pure silver, but unfortunately, it was melted down to pay taxes to Napoleon. It has been replaced with a stucco replica covered with silver foil, but it is still stunning. It was bejeweled with precious jewels such as ruby, emerald, lapis lazuli ext. These stones have also been replaced with fakes but one would not be able to tell that this is the case unless told otherwise.
Andrea Pozzo (sometimes called Padre Pozzo) also painted the ceiling of another Jesuit church, the Chiesa di Sant' Ignazio. Andrea Pozzo was an Italian Jesuit Brother, Baroque painter and architect, decorator, stage designer, and art theoretician. He was best known for his grandiose frescoes using an illusionistic technique called quadratura, in which perspective tools such as foreshortening, and other spatial effects are used to create the illusion of three-dimensional space on a flat surface. Astonishingly, this is what Pozzo accomplished in the Sant' Ignazio
This illusionist dome is a part of a larger fresco done by Padre Pozzo entitled The Apotheosis of St Ignatius completed between 1688-94. As the church was dedicated to Saint Ignatius, his apotheosis was the most appropriate subject for the ceiling fresco.
The ceiling fresco depicts the work of Saint Ignatius and the Society of Jesus; shows Saint Ignatius entering Paradise, being welcomed by Christ and the Virgin Mary; and also celebrates the work of Jesuit missionaries on four continents. In addition to the nave ceiling fresco, Pozzo completed three fresco paintings in the apse that surround the high altar - Saint Ignatius Loyola experiencing his vision at La Storta; sending St Francis Xavier, who was one of Ignacious' original companions, to the Indies; and greeting St Francesco Borgia, who was the 3rd grand superior of the Society of Jesus.
That's all for now! Until next week :)
Ciao
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