The Gates to Paradise

"The Gates to Paradise"
photo by: Tania Zatikian

In my previous blogs I talked about “The Gates to Paradise” and how eager I was to go and see them in person. Well now finally I can say that I was able to make that happen and it was more than I could have ever imagined. What I saw at Forest Lawn could not even compare or even come close to the original. Even though we talked about it in class, it takes seeing it yourself to really notice the detail and perfection of each piece. When you go to see the doors, they have a video playing of how they restored it. That alone was interesting to watch, especially because it took 26 years to finish the restoration. Vasari talks about the doors in great detail and describes what each panel represents and what event in the first testament takes place. It is truly and amazing piece of work, and what shocks me the most is the fact that Ghiberti was only 20 years old when he started working on the doors, and this took him about 20 or so years to complete. It’s interesting how throughout the years his talent and skill grew through time, which helped him, perfect this piece. Vasari talks about how Donatello and Brunelleschi, both amazing artists themselves, “declared him their equal and recognized him to be a better master at casting than they were themselves…” I couldn’t agree with them more, Ghiberti skill is something that is very hard to reach.