The Triumph of Divine Providence is located in the largest and most important hall of Palazzo Barberini. This painting consumes over 400 square meters of decorated fresco, which was created by the Italian painter Pietro da Cortona. The elaborate project was commissioned by Pope Urban VIII (Maffeo Barberini) in 1632, and finished by Cortona in 1639.
Pietro da Cortona (1596-1669), the artist behind this work, was born in a small town near Tuscany and earned the reputation of being the best Baroque painter of his day. He worked mainly in Florence and Rome, painting ceiling frescos such as the Triumph of Divine Providence and Salon. Despite Cortona’s skillful and elaborate frescos of the 17th century, his fame never reached that of artists like Bernini, Borromini, and Caravaggio. His use of bright colors and crowded figures in the luminous sky of his frescos spurred some critics to classify his work as Rococo style.
The Triumph of Divine Providence is an overwhelming whirlpool of flying figures with landscapes and illusionistic painted architecture called quadratura. The ceiling is overwhelming, which is both a visual and emotional adventure. This fresco is a perfect example of Baroque or even the beginning stages of Rococo art. The painting’s dynamic rhythm and use of various lighting exalts the virtues of the Barberini-born Pope and his family. The Triumph of Divine Providence has been understood by some scholars to represent the Barberini papal election. In the central part of the ceiling fresco is Divine Providence who sits on a cloud, while at the other end are putti and flying maidens holding papal keys. Other figures in the fresco are Justice, Piety, Power, Truth, and Beauty, while in the center of the ceiling is Immorality which wears a crown of stars. This crown, according to scholars, symbolizes the honor and wisdom cultured men have in heaven. The huge fresco is rich with allegory through symbols, but the historical episodes are primarily intended to praise the virtues of the Barberini Pope.
The Triumph of Divine Providence is an overwhelming whirlpool of flying figures with landscapes and illusionistic painted architecture called quadratura. The ceiling is overwhelming, which is both a visual and emotional adventure. This fresco is a perfect example of Baroque or even the beginning stages of Rococo art. The painting’s dynamic rhythm and use of various lighting exalts the virtues of the Barberini-born Pope and his family. The Triumph of Divine Providence has been understood by some scholars to represent the Barberini papal election. In the central part of the ceiling fresco is Divine Providence who sits on a cloud, while at the other end are putti and flying maidens holding papal keys. Other figures in the fresco are Justice, Piety, Power, Truth, and Beauty, while in the center of the ceiling is Immorality which wears a crown of stars. This crown, according to scholars, symbolizes the honor and wisdom cultured men have in heaven. The huge fresco is rich with allegory through symbols, but the historical episodes are primarily intended to praise the virtues of the Barberini Pope.
Sources:
- http://simonaalbanese.blogspot.it/2010/03/triumph-of-divine-providence-by-pietro.html
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_of_Divine_Providence_and_Barberini_Power_(Cortona)
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ajaccio_Da_Cortona_Autoportrait.JPG
- http://cdn2.all-art.org/baroque/images/cortona2.jpg
- http://37.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mak5afjxic1ql3umeo1_1280.jpg
- http://standrewsschoolofhistory.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/berberini3.jpg?w=630