The Apotheosis Of St Ignazio Analysis

The ceiling painting in the church of St. Ignazio is one of Andrea Pozzo’s master pieces; painted between 1685-1694. The Apotheosis of St. Ignatius is a manifestation of the principles of the High Roman Baroque, which were monumental, emotional and dramatic art. The work itself was to be seen as an immortalisation of the Jesuit Order. The centre portrays a brightly lit sphere with the Holy Trinity, St. Ignatius and beam of light exuding from Christ. The painting depicts personifications of the four quarters of the earth which refer to the presence of the Jesuit Order across the world.

This painting shows brilliant use of linear perspective, shading and light. The painting is painted on a flat surface, however looking up from the correct
I forget that I am looking at a painting and I forget to ask if it is only an observation. According to Panofsky this is due to the power of perspective because it is so different than my psychophysiological space. The perspective created in this painting generates a sense of a sensorial experience of infinity which is why I find it so attractive and capturing. According to Panofsky, a painting demands the viewer to equal the rationality of the space. This painting calls on me to be somebody else. Even though the attention is not on the viewer, it demands of you to be included as if it has been waiting for you. All of the figures in the painting are gazing at one another and not at the viewer. The direction of the gazes seem to be reciprocal and divergent. They mostly seem to be looking upward which gives me a sense of spirituality and does not threaten or provoke the viewer, but accepts me in. I do not see the painting as a silent witness; I am inevitably a part of it. According to phenomenology, the central structure of an experience is its intention as an experience of the object. Looking at this painting demands from the viewer to look at this painting as it is and to experience what is being given. It is almost impossible not to be absorbed into this illusion. Keeping in mind that at the time, the viewing subject would most likely have been a Jesuit worshipper. I think this is the point of the painting, the distinction between our physical world and the miraculous world which brings us into proximity with the divine. It is as if there is a miracle appearing before us and we are having a spiritual vision. This painting is a reminder of how important it was to reassert the catholic’s belief in the higher power. It is a way of breaking down the barrier between our world and