“The Labyrinths of the Heart. Giorgione and the Seasons of Sentiment between Venice and Rome” exhibition

“The Labyrinths of the Heart” exhibition is divided between two very different venues: Palazzo Venezia with its large, well-lit rooms; Castel Sant’Angelo with its narrow, dark rooms. Despite the differences between the two spaces, the visiting itinerary is ideally a single concept that follows the thread of a narration focusing on amorous relationships: from the birth of the feeling to declared love, from marriage to loss, to nostalgia. It is the history of human feelings, made of words, music and paintings, that finds one of its finest artistic expressions in Giorgione’s Double Portrait. The recognisability of the theme in the two venues has been resolved with the repetition of elements of layout that are modulated to obtain intimacy in the large rooms of Palazzo Venezia, while at Castel Sant’Angelo they serve to soften the appearance of a fortress-like, defensive structure of the rooms. It is a flexible and dynamic system, consisting of trestles and screens created with natural oak, unprocessed iron and light and translucent fabric capable of absorbing the light softly and allowing the works to emerge. Into the larger spaces, alcoves have been inserted that very much recall the theme of love and intimacy. The alcoves create rooms inside rooms, sheltered places to enjoy the works in tranquillity. These are elements designed to display every object at the correct height and with the correct lighting, thanks to a system of shelves and supports adaptable to the different types and dimensions of paintings. The many books on display are contained in low display cases, open and enhanced by dedicated lighting, such as the objects and jewels that belonged to Pope Paul II Barbo and Cardinal Grimani.