Cyclorama
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A cyclorama is a
Background
Panoramas were invented by
Cycloramas were very popular in the late 19th century.
Hundreds of cycloramas were produced; however, only about thirty survive.
An extension of this concept into motion pictures was pioneered with the invention of the Cinéorama that debuted at the 1900 Paris Exposition. This evolved into such formats as IMAX and Circle-Vision 360°.
Ben-Hur dramatisation
The main action centerpiece of the 1899 play Ben-Hur was the use of a live chariot race using real horses and real chariots set against a cyclorama. The Era's drama critic detailed how it was achieved by "four great cradles, 20ft in length and 14ft wide, which are movable back and front on railways". The horses galloped full-pelt towards the audience, secured by invisible steel cable traces and running on treadmills. Electric rubber rollers spun the chariot wheels. A vast cyclorama backdrop revolved in the opposite direction to create an illusion of massive speed, and fans created clouds of dust. The critic for The Illustrated London News described it as "a marvel of stage-illusion" that was "memorable beyond all else". The Sketch's critic called it "thrilling and realistic ... enough to make the fortune of any play" and noted that "the stage, which has to bear 30 tons' weight of chariots and horses, besides huge crowds, has had to be expressly strengthened and shored up".[5] It went on to inspire the multi-Oscar-winning 1959 film adaptation of Ben Hur, starring Charlton Heston – featuring the key live chariot race.
Surviving examples
Some notable cycloramas are:
- Wocher-Panorama, depicting the city of Thun. On display in the Kunstmuseum Thun. 38 metres long by 7.5 metres high (Created by Marquard Wocher in 1814 it may be the oldest surviving example on display).[6]
- Borodino Panorama, depicting the Napoleon I of Franceand a Russian Army outside Moscow in 1812. On display in Moscow. 115 metres long by 15 metres high.
- Stalingrad Battle Panorama, depicting the Battle of Stalingrad between Nazi Germany army and the Russian Army in 1942–1943. On display in Volgograd, Russia. 120 metres long by 16 metres high (the biggest canvas of Russia).
- Pleven Panorama, depicting the Siege of Plevna in 1878, in Pleven, Bulgaria - also known as the panorama with the world's biggest canvas.
- Racławice Panorama, depicting the Battle of Racławice during the Kościuszko Uprising is on display in Wrocław, Poland. 115 metres long by 15 metres high.
- Atlanta Cyclorama, depicting the Battle of Atlanta during the American Civil War is on display in Atlanta, Georgia
- Mennonitepeople
- Gettysburg Cyclorama, depicting the Battle of Gettysburg during the U.S. Civil War is displayed at Gettysburg National Military Park, Pennsylvania. The version on display is the second of four known versions of this painting, and one of only two extant. The original was lost in 1933, and although rediscovered in 1965, has not returned to public display. The second version, originally created for a Boston exhibition, is now on display at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center.
- Jesus Christ's Crucifixion is on display in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Quebec
- Waterloo Cyclorama, depicting the Battle of Waterloo is displayed in Belgium near the city of Waterloo
- 1973 October War panorama in Cairo, Egypt, depicting the attack on the Bar Lev Line and the subsequent fighting during the Yom Kippur/1973 October War between Israel and Egypt.
- The Riesenrundgemälde (giant circular painting) in Innsbruck, Austria, shows the Battles of Bergisel, still in its original building.
- Panorama Mesdag, depicting the Dutch village of Scheveningen in 1881, displayed in The Hague, Netherlands
- Palace and Gardens of Versailles cyclorama, painted by John Vanderlyn on display in the American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.[7]
- Bunker Hill Cyclorama, depicting the Battle of Bunker Hill, is displayed at the Bunker Hill Museum.
- Carpathian Basin by the Hungarians. It is displayed at the Ópusztaszer National Heritage Park, Hungary.
- Taejon Cyclorama, depicting the Battle of Taejon. On display at the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum in Pyongyang, North Korea.
- Fletcher's Mutiny Cyclorama, depicting the history of Norfolk Island and the Bounty mutiny.
- The Laysan Island, near Hawaii. It was begun by Charles Cleveland Nutting and opened in 1914.[8]
- The Panorama of the Battle of Lipany by Luděk Marold in Prague, in the Czech Republic.
- Panorama 1453 History Museum, depicting the Fall of Constantinople, in Istanbul, Turkey. It is a hemisphere 38 meters in diameter with a surface area of 2,350 m2[9]
See also
- Cyclorama Building, Boston
- Cosmorama
- Diorama
- Eidophusikon
- Moving panorama
- Myriorama
- Panorama
- Cycloramic, an iPhone app for taking such images.
- Panoramic painting
- International Panorama Council
References
- ^ a b c d Harrison, Nancy (7 August 2011). "Everything Just So: Cycloramas, The North American Tour". The Chattanoogan. Archived from the original on 19 August 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
- ^ "Land and Naval Battles of Vicksburg, Panorama in Asakusa Park, Tokyo," c. 1891; retrieved 2011-06-03
- ^ "Little Bighorn Cyclorama | Little Bighorn History Alliance ~ www.littlebighorn.info". lbha.proboards.com. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
- ^ LaChiusa, Chuck. "The Cyclorama Building". Buffalo as an Architectural Museum. BuffaloAH..com. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ Guardian article: Ben-Hur, London, 1902. 8 October 2003. Accessed 2010-05-27
- ^ "Kunstmuseum Thun / Thun Panorama - Thun Panorama - Rundbild / Geschichte" retrieved 2017-07-15
- ^ "John Vanderlyn | Panoramic View of the Palace and Gardens of Versailles | American". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ "Laysan Island Cyclorama". Archived from the original on 7 September 2014. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
- ^ "Panorama 1453".
External links
- Mobile Cyclorama . Virtual Panoramic 360° View Paintings
- Cyclorama of Jerusalem
- Toronto Cyclorama
- Visions & illusions: the art of the cyclorama Archived 27 June 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- The New Georgia Encyclopedia
- Cyclorama Building
- The Panorama Mesdag
- Gettysburg Cyclorama
- A Battle Scene's Full Circle: Massive Painting of Gettysburg Restored
- Big Touch-Up for the Blue and the Gray
- International Panorama Council. A worldwide network of experts in panoramas and cycloramas
- Battles of Vicksburg, cyclorama in Tokyo, circa 1891
- Stalingrad Battle panorama
- Borodino Panorama