Interieur van een zaal van het Dogepaleis te Venetië, Italië 1852 - 1893

This photograph by Carlo Ponti captures a hall within Venice's Doge's Palace, showcasing its ornate decoration. Dominating the scene are painted figures ascending into the heavens, a motif deeply rooted in the Renaissance celebration of humanism and divine aspiration. Observe the ascending figures, reminiscent of similar motifs found in ancient Roman apotheosis scenes where emperors were depicted rising to the heavens. This imagery echoes through centuries, resurfacing in Baroque ceiling paintings, such as those by Pietro da Cortona, where saints and heroes are transported to celestial realms. The gesture of upward reaching carries a potent psychological charge, evoking a longing for transcendence. This same aspiration appears in other art forms, from antiquity onwards. These painted figures, suspended between earthly life and divine eternity, are not merely aesthetic elements, they are a window into the psyche of a culture grappling with its place in the cosmos. They represent a recurring cycle of human ambition, and the ceaseless pursuit of a connection to something beyond ourselves.