The Orange Hall-animation: a present-day digital trompe-l’oeuil
Heavy-handed royal symbolism in 17th century painting, brought to life by an animated movie, merging with its painted surroundings: a present-day digital trompe-l’oeuil, made for a temporary exhibition on Constantijn Huygens in the great church in The Hague.
The Orange hall (Oranjezaal) in the Huis ten Bosch Palace, residence of the Dutch Royal Family, contains an impressive series of large paintings and is one of the undisputed highlights of Dutch painting during the Netherlands’ Golden Age. The hall is closed for visitors, but a glimpse of it was shown at the exhibition. A full-sized replica of the Oranjezaal was made and a spectacular animation gave a stunning visual explanation of the decorative program of the paintings. This animation made it possible to clarify and illustrate the complex symbolism; the painting comes to life and explains itself. Main personages appear. The god of peace floats serenely across the heavens. Fame, the god of glory, fights furiously against death. He protects Prince Frederick Henry of Orange, for whom this memorial was build. The prince is proudly seated in a golden chariot, like a Roman god. His hair and eyes moves slightly invisibly. Four horses prance and shake their heads. All the protagonists stop moving and freeze. It is obvious: a hero is commemorated here! The Orange hall can be considered the most imposing total work of art of its time. The animation was the superlative degree of the original optical illusion. A trompe l’oeil of today. The Queen herself was impressed by the realistic way of representing the extraordinary place and the animated movie explaining it.