Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome, Italy, Interior View 1878

Editor: This is Frederick Philip Dinkelberg’s “Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome, Italy, Interior View,” a drawing created in 1878. The incredible level of detail gives it an almost photographic quality, even though it's "just" ink on paper. It evokes such a strong sense of grandeur and reverence. What symbols and historical weight do you see conveyed here? Curator: Well, first consider the Basilica itself. It stands as the paramount symbol of the Catholic Church, right? But more than that, it is the literal ground zero of a faith, constructed over Saint Peter’s believed burial site. Dinkelberg chooses to focus on the interior space. What feeling does this interiority, as opposed to the facade, communicate? Editor: I think that focusing on the inside emphasizes the human relationship with the divine – like a personal connection within a larger faith. Curator: Exactly! The overwhelming architectural scale dwarfing the figures below reinforces this idea. What other repeating images stand out to you? Editor: I see the abundance of crosses, of course, and the prevalence of figures in niches...they feel representative of saints, of holiness... Curator: Yes, absolutely. Notice how the artist uses light. Those strong rays illuminating the space. Is that natural or man-made, do you think, given the context? And how does this light function symbolically? Editor: Probably not fully natural. And that directs my eye upward, reinforcing the divine, the sense of reaching for heaven... I didn't think I'd have such a visceral reaction just based on ink on paper! Curator: Right? It reminds us that images have long served as conduits between the earthly and the divine, shaping our collective memory and belief. This piece reveals Dinkelberg's understanding of not just architectural space, but symbolic space as well.