From real life into the world of art

Virtual exhibition

Explore our virtual exhibtion at www.artes-exhibition.digital

In the Early Modern period, theatrical and festive occasions played a fundamental role in European artistic activity. They brought together artists from different disciplines and backgrounds, generating processes of hybridization between the visual and the performing arts. Such occasions marked the point of transition »from real life into the world of art« (Jacob Burckhardt, The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy, 1860).


From real life into the world of art is a virtual exhibition, which offers an experience midway between a scientific publication and an interactive presentation. As the result of an international research project, it aims to analyse relationships between visual and performing arts in the European and Hispanic context of the 16th to 18th centuries.


Through an innovative combination of audio-visual media, the exhibition offers 15 narratives relating to historical festivals, parades, operas, ballets and artworks of particular significance within the history of art and the performing arts. By making the contents accessible online and allowing the users to choose specific routes, the exhibition addresses both the academic community and a wider audience.

The Horse Ballet and the Golden Apple

The contributions of the Theatermuseum deal with the festive culture of the Viennese court at the end of the 17th century. Rudi Risatti reanimates the horse ballet La contesa dell’aria e dell'acqua (“The Contest Between Air and Water”) of 1667 in a comic-like film with festive floats of the four elements and horse quadrilles in impressive formations. Daniela Franke retells the story of the most famous Viennese baroque opera Il pomo d’oro (“The Golden Apple”) of 1668 illustrated by the 23 spectacular stage designs by Lodovico Ottavio Burnacini leading from heaven to hell.

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