Il Paradiso

This article is about the painting. For the section of the Divine Comedy, see Paradiso (Dante). For the song, see (If Paradise Is) Half as Nice.

Gloria del Paradiso (1588-1592) by Tintoretto

Il Paradiso is a massive (22 x 9 metres) oil painting on canvas that dominates the main hall of the Doge's Palace, which hosted the Great Council of Venice. It is one of the largest paintings on canvas in the world and was painted by Jacopo Robusti, known more commonly as Tintoretto.[1] The painting features a heavenly scene with depictions of various religious figures such as the portrayal of Justina, patron saint of Padua (whose celebration day is October 7, the date of the Battle of Lepanto).

From the centre of the stage, a path of light opens up towards the Empyrean, allowing the souls of the Just to ascend (with the assistance of angels) and God's Grace to descend upon the Doge. At the centre of this path is the radiant figure of a semi-veiled Archangel. The composition is crowded with around 500 figures, depicted in detail.

Of it, John Ruskin said, "I have no hesitation in asserting this picture to be by far the most precious work of art of any kind whatsoever, now existing in the world."[2]

Many of Tintoretto's works were too vital to their location or too large in size to relocate to other exhibits, which is why many of them remain based in Venice, Italy.

  1. ^ Echols, Robert; Ilchman, Frederick (2018). Tintoretto: Artist of Renaissance Venice. Yale University Press. p. 38. ISBN 9780300230406.
  2. ^ Ruskin, John (2010), Cook, Edward Tyas; Wedderburn, Alexander (eds.), ""The Tortoise of Aegina": An Undelivered Lecture in Continuation of "Aratra Pentelici"", The Works of John Ruskin, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 381–389, doi:10.1017/cbo9780511696237.011, ISBN 978-0-511-69623-7, retrieved 2020-11-21