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unbekannt (unknown) «Villa of the Mysteries»
unbekannt (unknown), «Villa of the Mysteries»


 unbekannt (unknown)
«Villa of the Mysteries»

In this chamber dedicated to the cult of Dionysus, which was used for rites of initiation and rituals, the observer is surrounded by life-size, realistic figures, who seem to address the visitor and each other across the intervening space, communicating from wall to wall. The image space functions as a portal, allowing gods to enter the supposedly real physical space and, vice versa, taking the portrayed human actors and the observer onto the same image level.

 

Oliver Grau