becomes very much as important if not more so than the palpable structures within. Though there are no windows, the building is designed so that there are no feelings of constraint while inside. This is accomplished through the great space within. The space is what actually overwhelms the viewer making him feel small and thus creating the relationship between himself and the superior power of the gods. The unique circular shape allows the viewer to stand in the middle of the structure and have the all the walls equally distant, therefore creating a sense of total freedom within the massive area. On the floor there are repetitions of large squares and circles. These shapes become subject to the laws of perspective and recede accordingly, therefore helping to create the feeling of great distance between the viewer and the wall.As one looks up within the Pantheon, Heaven and Earth are connected through the dome. The five rows of coffers perform a pattern that is very pleasing to the eye. The higher the row, the smaller the coffers get. This also helps to create a feeling of enormous space. The act of perspective is imitated through the receding coffers adding to the effect that the oculus is far away as well as carrying through with the technical benefit of lightening the weight up top.The Pantheon is a building in which the artistic emphasis is on the inside rather than the outside. This common quality is shared with the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. Interestingly, this greatness of the interior is accomplished not so much through ingenious architectural design as in the Pantheon, but through two-dimensional paintings. The organization of these paintings is wonderful, both the composition of each individually and the placement of each in relation to all the others in the room. Compositional mastery is illustrated, for example, in Joachims banishment. He is ushered off the platform towards the abyss of his fate. Again in the ...
