Enjoy Italian ceiling frescoes at eye level

The chance has come to enjoy Italian frescoes right here in Seoul and up close without having to crane your neck.

The paintings, supposed to be high up on chapel ceilings, have come down to the human eye level at the exhibition "Masterpieces of Italian Renaissance Frescoes" running at Hangaram Art Museum in southern Seoul.

It was the renowned Lazzari family of Italy who replicated the huge fresco paintings by 20 great Renaissance artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raffaello Sanzio, better known as Raphael, into relatively minimized paintings.

The family has restored frescoes since the 1700s with their unique technique called "affregraphy." After taking photos and copying the original frescoes as elaborately as possible, they transferred the images into wet plaster and colored them in the traditional way - using fingers. Their works have received favorable reviews from art critics and viewers worldwide.

"Through the exhibits, we can finally see the whole paintings with our own eyes. Most of the parts in the original versions are out of human view because they are so high up," said exhibition director Stefano Lazzari.

"There was never a chance where people could enjoy frescos by great masters at the same place at the same time, because they cannot be moved. It is amazing how the works are now shown here, all the way over in Korea, for the first time in the world. They have never even been shown in Italy."

The exhibition features 51 frescos, starting from the works by Giotto di Bondone of the 14th century and finishing up with the paintings by da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael of the early 16th century.

About 1,900 artisans, including 300 restoration professionals, worked on the replicating project for three years at the Lazzari studio in Umbria, Italy.

The crew was divided into different teams that each covered different artists' works. For instance, 15 professionals replicated Michelangelo's "Universal Judgments" for five months.

Other than the painting, highlights of the show also include the copies of Michelangelo's "Creation of Adam," da Vinci's "The Last Supper" or "The School of Athens" by Raphael.

Michelangelo's original paintings can be found at Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, da Vinci's at Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, and Raphael's at the Apostolic Palace, also in the Vatican.

The exhibition runs through Feb. 21 at Hangaram Art Museum at the Seoul Arts Center in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul. Tickets are 13,000 won for adults, 10,000 won for adolescents and 8,000 won for kids. For more information, call (02) 3471-2020 or visit www.frescoart.co.kr

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young