Visions of Heaven: The Dome in European Architecture - Hardcover

Victoria Hammond

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1568985495 ISBN 13: 9781568985497

Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press, 2005

Synopsis

There's an ethereal magic to standing beneath a dome, neck craned, looking up at a vision of the heavens created by some long-ago figure of genius. From the Pantheon to the Hagia Sophia, the power of the dome seems transcendent. Photographer David Stephenson's magnificently kaleidoscopic images of dome interiors capture this evanescent drama, and make Visions of Heaven one of the most spectacularly beautiful books we've ever produced.

Traveling from Italy to Spain, Turkey, England, Germany, and Russia, among other countries, and photographing churches, palaces, mosques, and synagogues from the second to the early twentieth century, Stephenson's work amounts to a veritable typology of the cupola. His images present complex geometrical structures, rich stucco decorations, and elaborate paintings as they have never been seen before. Brilliantly calibrated exposures reveal details and colors that would otherwise remain hidden in these dimly lit spaces.

Visions of Heaven shows more than 120 images, including the Roman Pantheon, the Byzantine churches of Turkey, the great domes of the Renaissance, the decorative cupolas of the Baroque and the Rococo ages, and a nineteenth-century synagogue in Hungary.

About this title

About the Author

David Stephenson received his MFA from the University of New Mexico in 1982 and then moved to Australia. His photography has been widely exhibited and is held in many public and private collections, including the National Gallery of Australia, the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Edition details

• Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1568985495
• ISBN 13: 9781568985497
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 192