Photo of the Week #307

July 22, 2024
In this composite photo, Raissa Venables captures the awe-inspiring feeling of looking up at the vast vaulted ceiling of Duomo di Orvieto, a 14th-century cathedral in the Umbria region of central Italy. The construction of the cathedral (or “duomo” in Italian) spanned nearly three centuries, encompassing Romanesque to Gothic periods. As such, the building is like a self-contained course in Italian art history.

The fresco cycle in the chapel seen at the center of the picture was the largest in Italy when it was created, taking a decade to complete. It is one of the quintessential examples of the Sienese School of Italian painting, which in its day was a more decorative rival of Florence. One of the Duomo’s most striking features, which is evidence of its origins in the Romanesque period, is its construction with alternating rows of dark basalt and luminous travertine, creating a bold striped effect.

Venables's method of combining numerous photos into one continuous image encapsulates the feeling of being inside the Duomo in a way a conventional photograph never could. The dazzling vaulted ceilings and trussed timber roof are splayed out like all-engulfing constellations, channeling the experience of being inside a complete work of art.