Santa Croce Restoration Allows Close-Up Views
Restoration on the frescoes lining the ceilings of the fame Cappella Maggiore in the Santa Croce Basilica is finished, but the scaffolding will remain in place for about another year.
Restoration on the frescoes lining the ceilings of the fame Cappella Maggiore in the Santa Croce Basilica is finished, but the scaffolding will remain in place for about another year.
This will allow small groups of the curious and brave a chance to climb up and view the art from mere centimeters away, gaining a perspective identical to that of Agnolo Gaddi, the last stylistic descendant of Giotto.
As the next restoration of this kind might not happen for centuries, this experience will truly be one-of-a-kind, allowing the viewers to see tiny details of the frescoes that would otherwise surely be lost from a ground level viewing.
Viewers will be able to see the hundreds of faces from the painter’s daily life that were included in the general decoration of the fresco cycle, and countless other details within the frescoes.
The restoration of the Cappella was among the most ambitious of its kind, and features the latest cutting-edge techniques. Restorers used special software, allowing them to view the frescoes as if they were present during their creation 600 years ago.
This digital rendition of both the original work and the restoration process allows visitors an experience perhaps more rewarding than a simple museum: here we can view the work in progress as opposed to a simple completed work.
Beginning after Easter, and running through 2012, a limited number of small groups of about 20 people will be permitted this incredible viewing.
The price has not yet been determined, but it would be difficult to put a price on a trip in a visual and emotional time machine such as this.
