Saturday, February 11, 2012

Civil War Cycloramas

The first time I heard the word "Cyclorama" I was a ten year old girl scout, going to Atlanta on a special trip to see the Battle of Atlanta displayed in cyclorama form - a painting wrapped around the interior of a rotunda, with the foreground filled with props, to create an impression of depth
.
This was in the era of "Gone With The Wind" and it was all so vivid and real to me because of the movie. In my young life, up to that point, I  don't remember seeing anything more impressive than the  Cyclorama in Atlanta. Many years later we took the grandchildren. I still felt the same way.

 Recently, we had the opportunity to see the Cyclorama at Gettysburg, equally impressive and disturbing, especially since the battle raged on for three days. In both the cycloroma in Atlanta and the one in Gettysburg, you could not tell where the props ended and the painting began. Both are  truly masterpieces.

No comments:

Post a Comment