A Work of Art

We spent the next four days doing the driving tour of the battlefield along with three ranger guided walks and a full day at the new visitor’s center and museum. Rather than go into great detail, you can refer to our Gettysburg visit two years ago in our August 2007 blog.

One of the things not available during our visit two years ago was the Cyclorama, which at that time was being restored (a job that took nearly five years). Well, let us tell ya that they did an incredible job restoring this painting, and both of us were shocked by the sheer magnitude of it.

The work’s creator, Frenchman Paul Philippoteaux, took great pains to ensure the historical accuracy of his project as he spent time interviewing survivors, researching uniforms and military strategy, and hired a photographer to record the landscape. The painting was done in 1883 of Pickett’s Charge, taking him and his assistants only one year to complete. This may seem like a long time for one painting, but this one painting is 377 feet in circumference and 42 feet tall!

The diorama leading up to the painting blurs the boundaries between the two-dimensional canvas and three-dimensional reality. For instance he painted a well with a tripod of sticks above it holding the rope and pulley for a bucket, but he purposefully omitted one leg of the tripod; that stick was real and part of the diorama as are part of the stone wall and wood fence to the right of the well. This all being viewed from an elevated viewing platform was simply amazing. Added to this was a surround sound audio including simulated rifle and artillery fire. In addition the use of strobe lights, smoke, and other lighting made the painting come to life. We almost felt as if we were right there in the battle.

If you are ever in the area, this is a must see! The photos here do not do it justice. For more info on the Cyclorama, check out this website: http://www.nps.gov/gett/parknews/gettysburg-cyclorama-comes-to-life.htm.

The new visitor’s center is state-of-the-art, and we were told that it was built with private donations. They do charge $7.50 to view the Cyclorama as well as the museum. We opted for the 2-day pass, costing $10.00, and were not disappointed in our investment. Not only were we able to break up our museum visit into two days, but a two day pass allows you to view the Cyclorama as often as you wish. We actually saw it five times, and the fifth time was just as exciting as the first.

One thing we’d like to mention is the fine job that our National Park Service employees do in explaining various details and little known facts on the ranger guided walks. They do a great job of storytelling and offer a wealth of knowledge, always willing to answer any question and offer helpful hints to help everyone enjoy our park system.