A Century Gone- St. Ignatius Lives on in the Baroque

Ignatius of Loyola or St. Ignatius (1491-1556) founded the Society of Jesus in 1534 or commonly known now as the Jesuits. This religious organization admitted men, stressed obedience, and centralized education in preparing their members to serve those who needed help in the world. St. Ignatius represents one major success of the Catholic Reformation, as missionary work, education, and theology flourished within the society’s growth during the period (Zophy 257-260) To demonstrate the lasting legacy of Ignatius, I looked at a fresco painted a century after the death of the Saint himself. The Apotheosis of St. Ignatius was painted in the late 17^th century by Andrea Pozzo, a Jesuit baroque painter (Vanderbilt Digital Library). Overall, this work designates the impact of the Roman Catholic Reformation, a contemporaneous influence alongside the Protestant movement at the time. Moreover, this signals the transition in artwork towards the Baroque period, a style of excess that perhaps reflects some of the religious upheavals still affecting society even a century later.

The painting resides in the Church of Saint Ignatius in Rome. As you can see, there’s vivid color and a large array of figures, with Ignatius ascending to heaven in the center of the fresco. The fresco itself creates a sense of daunting height and slightly of chaos. There’s also a distinct portrayal of light and altogether, the ornamentation of the Baroque period comes through. This cultural remnant of a later period imparts the very real notion that reform was active and influential within the Catholic Church during the Reformation period, not just outside of it.

Image & Info- 

http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/diglib-fulldisplay.pl

Extra link- This video is about a different altarpiece by Pozzo of St. Ignatius in a nearby chapel. Has some general information about the style and the significance of a similar work by the same artist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3vkqYgJ93c