Illusionistic Ceiling Paintings and the Expansion of Scientific Knowledge

Mantegna, Andrea – Fresco of the Camera degli Sposi (1474) Mantua, Italy.

Pozzo, Andrea –  Apotheosis of Saint Ignatius (1685) Church of St. Ignatius, Rome, Italy.

Personal Thoughts

The illusionistic ceiling paintings shown above by Andrea Pozzo and Andrea Mantegna particularly amazed me because of each artists ability to create the visual of three dimensional space on a nearly two-dimensional surface. Specifically, the architectural objects included in the paintings, such the pillars in Pozzo’s painting and the ledge upon which the angels are situated in Mantegna’s work, helps to reinforce the illusion of three dimensional space. However, after seeing the above paintings I began to wonder whether or not the apparent three dimensional space portrayed was actually illusory or perhaps indicative of something deeper.

Illusionistic Ceiling Paintings and the Expansion of Scientific Knowledge

During the Italian Renaissance and Baroque era, many artists incorporated techniques which were used to create optical illusions. For example, Andrea Mantegna’s fresco Wedding Chamber, located in Mantua, Italy, gives a viewer the impression of three-dimensional space.  The patronage of the marchese of Mantua, Ludovico Gonzaga, provided Mantegna income as well as the opportunity to create the Wedding Chamber; in the fresco Mantegna portrays a continuous decoration on all four walls of the room by means of extremely realistic architectural objects on walls and ceilings, which when viewed from ground level gives the impression of three-dimensional space (Sheard). The realism produced by Mantegna’s use of perspective in Wedding Chamber made it one of most influential illusionistic ceiling paintings of the Italian Renaissance.  Moreover, the idea of total spatial illusion which was pioneered by Mantegna was not fully explored until inventors of ingenious schemes of ceiling painting, such as Andrea Pozzo, during the Baroque era (Sheard).

In 1681, artist Andrea Pozzo was brought to Rome in order to work on the commemorative scheme surrounding St. Ignatius Loyola’s rooms adjoining the Gesù (“Apotheosis of Saint Ignatius”). In Rome, Pozzo painted an allegory of the Apotheosis of St. Ignatius. The painting serves to celebrate the apostolic goals of the Jesuit missionaries who were eager to spread Catholicism throughout the globe. Moreover, Pozzo’s work portrays a combative Catholicism which was incited by the Counter-Reformation.  For instance, Pozzo depicts the victorious warriors of the Old Testament such as David and Goliath, Samson and the Philistines, as well as others. Pozzo’s ceiling painting defines a viewing position on the floor which produces a unified and compelling perception of depth which is not actually present on the nearly flat painted surface (Hughes and Wade 1116).

Although, the paintings of Pozzo and Mantegna create an illusion of three dimensional space, the expansion of scientific knowledge, which has its roots in the Baroque era, has led modern day physicists to develop theories which substantiate the notion that the three-dimensional space in which we humans perceive may actually be encoded on a two-dimensional information structure much like illusionistic paintings. In addition to illusionistic painting techniques, the Baroque era was marked by the expansion of scientific knowledge. Prominent scientific figures of the Baroque era included Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei. The work of Kepler and Galilei helped to substantiate the Copernican heliocentric model of the universe and advanced the fields of astronomy and optics. Most importantly, the work of Kepler and Galilei (as well as others that came before them), provided the foundation for more comprehensive theories of the physical universe such as Newtonian Mechanics, Einstein’s General Relativity, Quantum theory, and String theory. According to a pioneering physicist of String theory, Leonard Susskind, “…the combination of quantum mechanics and gravity requires the three dimensional world to be an image of data that can be stored on a two dimensional projection much like a holographic image” (Susskind 1). Thus, the illusionistic ceiling paintings by Pozzo and Mantegna perhaps are not illusions after all. Perhaps, the extraordinary ability of such artists to depict such a realistic space actually serves to reinforce an underlying characteristic of the physical universe.

 

Works Cited

Hughes, Patrick, and Nicholas J. Wade. “Fooling the eyes: trompe l’oeil and reverse

perspective.” Perception 28. n.a. (1999): 1115-1119. Print.  

Mantegna, Andrea. Fresco of the Camera degli Sposi. Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica

Online. Web. 1 Mar. 2014.

<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/122468/Fresco-by-Andrea-Mantegna-completed-1474-on-the-ceiling-of>.

Pozzo, Andrea. Apotheosis of Saint Ignatius. Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. Web. 1 Mar.

2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sant%27Ignazio_-_painted_dome_-_antmoose.jpg>.

Sheard, Wendy S. “Andrea Mantegna.” Encyclopædia Britannica n.d.: n.p.  Encyclopædia

Britannica Online. Web. 1 Mar. 2014. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/362903/Andrea-Mantegna>

 

Susskind, Leonard. “The World as a Hologram.” Journal of Mathematical Physics 36. n.a.

(1995): 6377-6396. Web. <http://arxiv.org/pdf/hep-th/9409089v2.pdf> 

“Apotheosis of Saint Ignatius.” Dome. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, n.d. Web. 1 Mar.

2014. < http://dome.mit.edu/handle/1721.3/122062>

 

Renaissance Humanism and The Ambassadors

The Ambassadors (1533) by Hans Holbein the Younger

The Renaissance, which originated in Italy and subsequently spread through northern Europe, was characterized by an emphasis on humanist philosophy. In particular, Renaissance humanism was a celebration of human achievement, reason, spirit, and physical beauty. The influence of humanism is demonstrated in many artistic works created during the Renaissance. For example, Hans Holbein the Younger’s The Ambassadors demonstrates an emphasis on human reason and the influence of European royalty on esoteric scholarship.

Holbein’s The Ambassadors portrays two educated men with instruments and books. The man featured on the left side is the 1533 French ambassador to England, Jean de Dinteville; to the right, is the bishop of Lavaur, Georges de Selve (“The Ambassadors”). Featured on the upper shelf is a celestial globe and portable sundial along with additional instruments used to study the cosmos and measure time. Additionally, the lower shelf includes a lute, a case of flutes, an arithmetic book, and a terrestrial globe.

The collection of objects portrayed in Holbein’s The Ambassadors demonstrates an emphasis on human reason which is characteristic of Renaissance humanism. For instance, the fact that objects such as a portable sundial and globes are featured in Holbein’s work suggests that such objects were important enough to require an artist’s rendering. Furthermore, such objects are used to objectively inquire about the natural world and thus pursue intellectual endeavors. Therefore, the portrayal of such objects in an artistic work is a celebration of intellectual pursuits and thereby human reason.

In addition, Holbein’s The Ambassadors demonstrates the influence of European royalty on esoteric scholarship. Holbein, along with many other Renaissance artists and scholars, were sought out by European royalty in order to commission works like The Ambassadors and King Henry VIII. Thus, by having artists such as Holbein create such works, European royalty directly supported the scholarship of many artists as well as other intellectuals. By supporting the scholarly endeavors of such artists and intellectuals, the emphasis of esoteric scholarship among European royalty during the Renaissance affirmed the humanist celebration of human achievement and reason.

Ultimately, Holbein’s The Ambassadors demonstrates the significant influence of humanist philosophy during the Italian and Northern European Renaissance. By featuring objects which are used to inquire about the natural world, such as globes and a sundial, Holbein’s work conveys a celebration of human reason and scholarship which is characteristic of Renaissance humanism. Furthermore, the underlying support of esoteric scholarship by European royalty during the Renaissance served as a catalyst which emboldened humanist philosophy by embracing the fruits of the human intellect.

Works Cited

“The Ambassadors.” The National Gallery. The National Gallery, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2014.

< http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/hans-holbein-the-younger-the-ambassadors>

Introduction

My name is Jonathan Cruz and I am a junior at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). Currently, I am  majoring in Physics. I have lived in Alaska for most of my life. I was born in Valdez and spent much of my time growing up in Anchorage, Alaska. Before coming to UAF, I studied at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

When I was in the sixth grade, I began playing the Alto Saxophone as a part of the elementary school band program. I enjoyed playing the Saxophone so much that I continued to play in band through middle school and part of high school.  In middle school, I played in concert band and jazz band. Similarly, in high school I played in symphonic band as well as jazz band. In my junior year of high school, I focused solely on jazz band. Jazz particularly interested me because of the smooth musical styles and emphasis on improvisation. In addition to Jazz, I enjoy listening to a wide range of music, from  Claude Debussy to The Roots.