Pantheon Front by Lisa Lu (2018)

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Description 15x11 WatercolorThe word Pantheon is a Greek adjective meaning honor all Gods. The Pantheon is one of the best preserved ancient monuments in the world and it still has an important function and status today as within it are the tombs of the Italian monarchy from 1870-1946 CE and another notable tomb is that of Raphael (1483-1520 CE).The building consists of two principal parts - the porch, which is very Classical Greek in presentation, and the circular main building which is much more Roman in style. The circular building is built using brick and concrete but was originally faced with white marble stucco to match the porch in appearance. The dome is concrete with the external surface originally covered in sheets of bronze but these were removed by Constans II in 663 CE.The most fascinating part of the Pantheon is its giant dome, with its famous hole in the top (The eye of the Pantheon, or oculus). The dome was the largest in the world for 1300 years and until today it remains the largest unsupported dome in the world! The diameter of the dome is 43.30 meters or 142ft and is in perfect proportion with the Pantheon by the fact that the distance from the floor to the top of the dome is exactly equal to its diameter.The great architectural achievement was due to the massive weight of the large dome. Roman engineers lightened the dome as much as possible; not only its thickness progressively decreases, but the materials used in the upper part of the dome were lighter with internal spaces within the dome walls. The decrease in thickness has the effect that while the interior of the ceiling is spherical, its exterior is slightly flattened. The hole (oculus), 7.8 meters in diameter, is the only source of light and is the connection between the temple and the gods above. Rain occasionally fall through it, but the floor is slanted and drains the water if it manages to hit the floor. In practice, rain seldom falls inside the dome.

Lisa Lu, State of Washington
Member Since March 2009
Artist Statement Lisa first started painting with color pencils at the age of 10, and she has always loved to paint ever since; it allows her to express feelings with a peaceful mind. Self-taught and self-developed in watercolor and ink painting, each of Lisa's painting is a journey to adventure. Lisa presently resides with her husband and their son in the State of Washington. She is a licensed architect, and currently works in an architecture firm, while continuing self study and painting on architecture and landscape subjects in watercolors.