The Apotheosis of St. Ignatius 

Curator: Right, let's delve into this stunning piece. This is "The Apotheosis of St. Ignatius," attributed to Giovanni Battista Gaulli, an example of Baroque oil painting that really takes your breath away. Editor: Whew! Overwhelming, in the best possible way. My first thought? A hurricane of cherubs in a golden swirl. Is that St. Ignatius at the calm eye of the storm? Curator: Precisely! Gaulli has masterfully employed dramatic perspective and allegory. Saint Ignatius is being received into paradise, surrounded by celestial beings. Notice the strategic use of light, almost theatrical. Editor: It feels like my own perspective is skewed! Like I am peering directly into another world, up into this divine pandemonium. The figures closer to us seem to almost tumble into our space. The theatricality, as you mentioned, is stunning. It reminds me a bit of being at a Baroque Opera. Curator: It's no accident! Gaulli designed this as a ceiling fresco for the Church of the Gesù in Rome. The perspective is cleverly manipulated, intended to give viewers the sensation of actually witnessing this apotheosis. The architecture itself collaborates to complete the illusion. The saint himself rises with confidence, right through the roof! Editor: Absolutely! It seems so forward thinking to literally construct a three-dimensional reality from paint on a ceiling. A true expansion of traditional art practice into complete spectacle, a total immersive environment. So, not only does this display an obvious and magnificent attention to craft and form but does it also function, literally, to transform our relationship to space. That's potent. Curator: Exactly. I find the drama utterly compelling, particularly how the fall of the damned contrasts the glorious ascension. You can observe history-painting meeting the divine with exceptional effectiveness here. I leave with questions: how can art, and visuality itself, alter one's senses, and sense? Editor: Indeed, questions aplenty! Art's power lies in that dizzying invitation into worlds beyond our own, painted with daring brushstrokes. Makes you think.