What's Up?-Alexandria Johnson

Alexandria Johnson

What’s up? The Jesuits and Ceiling Painting in Early Modern Rome

            Throughout the course of this trip we have seen many ceiling painting but of the greatest one that we have seen in my opinion have been the ceiling paintings that we have seen in the in the Jesuit churches. Both in the Gesu and in the Church of San Ignazio these work are amazingly detail with things such as an illusion to a dome and angels that look like they are coming out of the ceiling down to you.

            The Gesu is one of the main churches we visited on this trip not only because of the importance it has to famous art work but because of its significance to the Society of Jesus. When you arrive at the Gesu it is in the middle of two very busy cross roads the Jesuits did this on purpose because at their time preaching was very important to grow the faith. Therefore they need to have a spot for their church that large crowds of people can gather to hear their preaching’s. Not only was the location important but so was the design of the building itself, outside of the church you can see at the top two corners volutes that tie the lateral part of the church with the central patron of the church which ties the entire outside of the building together. The outside of the building has a very baroque style. When you are entering the church you can see a plaque that is dedicated to the patron of the church, Alessandro Farnese. Alessandro was the nephew of Pope Paul III who was the pope who established the Jesuit society therefore he was very invested in their society. Since he was a patron of art he had a lot of connections with many great artist to help decorate the church. The Jesuits did not want to have extravagate church they wanted everything to be very simple but when it come to the decoration the Parton of the church has a lot of influence so they had to meet in the middle with Farnese. When it came to artist to decorate the church Farnese wanted Michelangelo to do the church for free but unfortunately that plan did not fall through. Farnese got his family’s architect Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola to create the church. But when it come to the interior decoration Alessandro’s nephew was in charge of hiring the artist for this. The artist who was commissioned to paint the ceiling painting, Triumph of the Name of Jesus, was Giovanni Battista Gaulli. It was very controversial to allow him to do this painting because in his last fresco he painted naked figures which offended many.  But he was able still commissioned to the work despite the controversy, he also had help from Bernini with the design, he painted it to be an allegory of the work of the Jesuits because it envelopes the worshippers in a world wind of devotion. The ceiling is painted to look as if it is opening up to the heavens which is a sign of the baroque period. This ceiling painting is very theatrical, which is also a characteristics of the baroque, the figures are all outstretch and appear to be reaching to the heavens and to the IHS in the middle which is supposed to represent God.

            The next significant Jesuit ceiling painting that we saw on this trip is the fresco done by Andrea Pozzo in the church of San Ignazio. Pozzo was a painter who was most famous for his work during the baroque period and his mastery of the quadrature. He created very illusionist paintings which is also an important characteristics of the baroque period. In the main flat ceiling of the central naive of the church he painted an allegory of the Apotheosis of S. Ignatius. When you look up at the ceiling it really appears as if it is breaking through to the heavens and rays of light are shinning down on you. The painting itself is supposed to represent the missions of the Jesuits during the time of the counter-reformation. In the four corners of the fresco there are clusters that supposed to represent the four continents of the world that the Jesuits went to spread the catholic faith. Also during the counter-reformation they encourage a combative Catholicism so Pozzo depicted a lot of Old Testament figures instead of the usual pillars of the church. The reason why he depicted the painting as if the rays of light were coming from the heavens because of St. Ignatius words to go and set the world aflame meaning to that the rays of heaven should be spread throughput the work to spread the faith, which was one of Ignatius main goals when he started the order. Therefore the rays of light are shinning particularly on St. Ignatius who is depicted floating on a cloud rising up into the heavens.

            The flat ceiling of the central nave isn’t even the most spectacular illusions baroque part of the work that Pozzo completed in the church. He also painted a dome for the church but it is a flat two-dimensional surface. Despite the donations of given to complete the church they were not able to have enough funds to actually create a dome. After this was realized Pozzo suggested the idea of creating an illusionist dome because if his skill in illusions art. They approved this idea and he painted the trompe-l'oeil dome which we you look at it from certain angles looks like real dome on the ceiling! He painted this on canvas and transferred it to the ceiling which helped create the illusion. Both the fresco and dome of this church are the point of the baroque period style of art because the brilliant use of illusion and theatric.

            Both of these ceilings are very good examples of the baroque period of art an also for the Jesuits. In the Gesu the fresco really depicts the vison of what the Jesuits stand for and has very theatrical figures. In the ceiling painting of Sant’Ignazio it shows the missions of the Jesuits and has an amazing example of the quadrature which is a main feature of the baroque period.