You have surely seen paintings of different sizes hanging from walls in homes and museums. Some bigger and some smaller. For example, the Mona Lisa painting measures only 77 x 53 cm. But have you ever wondered what the largest painting in the world is?
Well, it is The Battle of Gettysburg, painted in 1883 by Henri Félix Emmanuel Philippoteaux and 16 of his assistants and measures 125 x 21 meters and weighs 5,349 kilos, that is, four times more than an average car.
This gigantic piece, located in a museum in the United States, represents one of the most tragic battles in the history of the country.
And due to its size, the authorities of the museum where the largest painting in the world is kept, designed an exclusive walkway so that tourists can appreciate every detail.
For the most curious, it should be noted that this painting is made as a cyclorama, that is, it was made as a large panoramic image that has a curved or cylindrical shape, so that it can be viewed from the center, achieving an illusionistic effect that surrounds the viewer in a 360º vision. So anyone can feel like they are in a historic battle!
The main author, Philippoteaux, spent several months at the site of the battle researching this historical event, accompanied by a group of veterans, a photographer and a specialized battlefield guide.
The painting is kept in the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum in Pennsylvania, United States, where the work remains in a special room.
Given its age, size and importance to the country and the world, the “Battle of Gettysburg” is preserved at an appropriate temperature, in a room that is perfectly prepared to receive tourists.
The author Henri Félix Emmanuel Philippoteaux was a French artist who was born in Paris, on January 27, 1846, and lost his life at the age of 77, on June 28, 1923.