Blue Space
Chris Cosnowski
The blue used for the background of Giotto’s Scrovegni Chapel in Padua is one of the most celebrated and recognized colors in Western European art. Besides demonstrating wealth, (Lapis Lazuli was famously more expensive than gold in the 13th century) it was emblematic of the divine, used primarily to represent the Virgin Mary. I use Giotto’s frescoes as an inspiration for my painting depicting a plastic trumpeting putto hovering in the center of a Spirograph gear. The imagery is reminiscent of the Last Judgement and the composition resembles the roundels of Jesus and the Prophets from the Scrovegni ceiling. I use Spirographs in my work to represent geometry and rationality as well as the celestial and metaphysical. In this image, the Spirograph becomes ominous as it’s separated into twelve sections which recall the zodiac and has the number 144 stamped on its outer margin - eerily relating to the 144,000 saved souls at the end times as recounted in Revelation 7:4. We are living in interesting, conflicted times and it can seem like the end is nigh, but I’d rather focus on the Giotto blue that draws us into its space and imbues everything with a glorious, heavenly light.
Last Judgement Roundel (Giotto Blue), 2023
oil on panel
36 x 36 in 91.4 x 91.4 cm
oil on panel
36 x 36 in 91.4 x 91.4 cm
