For the first time, the Vatican Museums will be guests at the Ars Electronica Center for a special Cultural Heritage Series based on a cooperation with the Vatican Museums and the Embassy of Austria to the Holy See in Rome. Gigapixel images of two outstanding artworks by the Great Master Pietro Perugino in the Sistine Chapel — the main Chapel in the Pope’s Palace — will be presented at Deep Space 8K. Both frescoes belong to the narrative cycle depicting the life of Christ. Vatican Museums’ Director Dr. Barbara Jatta recommended these masterpieces for this presentation as the most significant and easy-to-understand within the theological message which frescoes by the fifteenth-century artists convey. They also have been chosen as an introduction to Pietro Perugino’s extraordinary work in view of the upcoming 500th anniversary of his death in 2023. Thanks to the use of very high-resolution digital images provided by the Vatican Museums, created by use of gigapixel photography technology, this immersive presentation offers a privileged and spectacular view of these timeless frescoes by Perugino that can be viewed and admired with absolute clarity and accuracy in perfect detail, allowing the visitors to have a unique experience. They will find themselves indeed inside the Beauty That Leads to Faith in harmony with the values and priorities underlying the Vatican Museums’ mission. Director Dr. Barbara Jatta will explain these masterpieces at Deep Space 8K providing insights into Pietro Perugino’s wonderful work, while Dr. Rosanna Di Pinto, Head of the Vatican Museums’ Images and Rights Department will comment on the photographic survey, the gigapixel images of Perugino’s artworks in the Sistine Chapel belong to.
Speakers
Dr. Barbara Jatta (IT)
Dr. Rosanna Di Pinto (IT)
Biographies
From 1996 to 2016, she was the director of the Cabinet of Prints at the Vatican Apostolic Library, where she was also a member of the Exhibitions, Accessions, Acquisitions, Publishing and Cataloguing commissions. In 2010 the Holy Father Benedict XVI appointed her as Curator of Prints at the Vatican Apostolic Library. She was then called to be the Deputy Director of the Vatican Museums and in 2017 Pope Francis appointed her to guide the papal collections in the role of Director of the Vatican Museums.
Credits
This presentation will be kindly supported by the Embassy of Austria to the Holy See in Rome and our media partner Wiener Zeitung.
Photo Scripta Maneant G. Roli and C. Vannini © Governorate of the Vatican City State – Directorate of the Vatican Museums. All rights reserved.