The Life of St. Ignatius Loyola. Plate 6. The vision at La Storta (outside Rome) I will be favourable to you in Rome.

A kneeling saint gazes upward at a divine vision materializing in brilliant golden-white light that floods from the upper right, illuminating a hovering figure surrounded by cherubs in the clouds. Below, two other robed observers kneel in shadow, their forms anchoring the earthly realm as the architecture—stone walls and columns—recedes into a luminous background. The light streams diagonally across the composition, creating a clear spiritual hierarchy: the vision glows ethereal and weightless, while the chapel floor remains anchored in cool shadow. Your eye travels upward along the converging verticals of the walls and the direction of the figures' reverent gazes, following the invisible path of divine grace.

The darkest darks occupy the lower left foreground and the shadows of the robed figures' folds, grounding the composition in earthy reality. The brightest lights are reserved for the heavenly apparition and the luminous stone walls directly in the light's path. The majority of the painting occupies a warm mid-tone range—the stone architecture, the floor, and the lit side of the kneeling figures—creating visual unity. Squint and you see three clear value zones: deep shadow (foreground floor, figure shadows), bright light (upper right and heavenly figures), and warm mid-tone (everything else). This restraint is what makes the light feel miraculous rather than theatrical.

• #d3bd97

  Titanium white + yellow ochre, touch of raw umber

  The brilliant divine light flooding the upper right, the illuminated face of the heavenly figure, highlights on the light-struck stone walls

• #b3a081

  Yellow ochre + raw umber + white

  Mid-tone stone architecture, lit surfaces of the chapel walls, warm groundwork for the floor

• #9c8c71

  Raw umber + yellow ochre + sap green (to mute), white

  Shadow sides of the stone walls, mid-value drapery on the figures, recession in the background

• #8d7b61

  Raw umber + burnt sienna + touch of ivory black

  Deep folds in the robes of the kneeling observers, shadow on the floor, darker architectural recesses

• #665e4c

  Ivory black + burnt sienna + raw umber

  The darkest accents—deepest shadows in lower left, the shadow sides of the robed figures, final dark details

• #7e725b

  Raw umber + burnt sienna + sap green (for naturalism)

  Mid-shadow tones in the architecture, transition zones between light and deep shadow, the ground shadow effects

Edges are consistently soft and atmospheric throughout, especially where divine light meets air—there is no crisp separation between the heavenly figures and their luminous surroundings. The stone architecture is rendered with slightly more definition than the vision, but still with blended, glazed edges that suggest distance and atmospheric perspective. Drapery is built with layered strokes following the form, using directional brushwork to define both the weight of cloth and the play of light across folds. The overall approach is painterly and romantic rather than linear—atmospheric effects take priority over sharp detail.

1. 01

   Establish the light direction and value map

   Lightly sketch the basic composition: the chapel floor in the foreground, the three figures (one in clouds, two kneeling below), and the directional light beam coming from the upper right. Using a thin wash of diluted yellow ochre + white, map out where the brightest light falls—it should define the entire right side of the composition and create a clear diagonal from upper right to lower left. This golden wash is your value foundation; everything else builds on its warmth.

2. 02

   Block in the architectural structure

   Using raw umber + yellow ochre (with varying amounts of white), establish the stone walls and columns. These should read as a warm mid-tone that recedes naturally. Paint boldly past the figures; the architecture is your spatial scaffolding. Leave the brightest areas unpainted where the light hits directly. The left wall should be warmer and slightly darker than the right, showing the shadow side of the interior space.

3. 03

   Paint the heavenly vision and divine light

   Block in the figure in clouds with pale yellow ochre + white, keeping edges soft and translucent. Surround it with even lighter cream tones that suggest luminous air and radiance. Add the cherub faces with quick, delicate strokes using the same pale palette—they should feel weightless and ethereal, not solid. Let this entire upper section glow; it should read as the source of all light in the composition.

4. 04

   Establish the kneeling figures' forms

   Paint the robed observers using raw umber + burnt sienna + ivory black, keeping the forms simple and strong. The figure in the foreground should be darker and warmer-toned; the figures behind should recede slightly into cooler mid-tones. Focus on the silhouettes first—these dark shapes are what anchor the scene earthward and create the devotional drama. Leave some stone visible between and behind them to establish spatial depth.

5. 05

   Render the floor and foreground shadows

   Paint the floor using yellow ochre + raw umber, warmed by the directional light on the right, cooling into deeper shadow on the left. The foreground shadow in the lower left corner should be your darkest dark—use ivory black + burnt sienna + raw umber here. This creates the spatial push that keeps us looking into the scene rather than at it flatly. Add subtle texture to the floor with drybrush strokes following the perspective lines.

6. 06

   Develop drapery and light interaction

   Return to the figures' robes and model the folds using layered glazes. The lit folds should catch the warm golden light from above (use yellow ochre + white mixed into the mid-shadow tones); the shadow folds should go deep (raw umber + ivory black). Pay attention to how the fabric catches the directional light beam—this is where the divine light physically touches the earthly figures. The interplay here is the emotional core of the painting.

7. 07

   Refine atmospheric perspective and unity

   Use thin glazes of yellow ochre + white to unify the entire composition with atmospheric haze—particularly where the background recedes. This glaze should be warmer and lighter in tone than anything in the foreground, creating depth through atmospheric perspective. Soften any edges that feel too sharp; the entire painting should have a dreamlike, unified tonality. Add hints of the faces of the kneeling figures with pale, warm flesh tones, but keep them understated—they're secondary to the vision.

8. 08

   Final adjustments and spiritual luminosity

   Step back and assess the value relationships. The heavenly vision should feel weightless and luminous—if it looks heavy, it's too dark. Add a final whisper of brightest light (pure titanium white with just a drop of yellow ochre) to the most brilliant parts of the radiating light and the figure's face. Ensure the floor shadow in the foreground reads as convincingly dark so the light feels genuinely miraculous by comparison. Make any final glazes to adjust the overall warmth and atmospheric coherence.

• Overworking the heavenly light with harsh edges or opaque paint—it must stay atmospheric, translucent, and soft. Restraint with the brightest lights is what makes them read as divine rather than decorative.
• Losing the directional light logic partway through. Every shadow, every mid-tone, and every highlight should acknowledge that single golden light source from the upper right. If you paint locally without referencing the light direction, the painting will feel arbitrary.
• Making the stone architecture too uniform or too gray. The light transforms every surface it touches; the right side of each wall should be noticeably warmer and lighter than the left. Variation within the mid-tones keeps the space feeling real and three-dimensional.
• Underestimating the depth required between the kneeling figures in the foreground and the vision above. The figures must feel grounded on their chapel floor, not floating. The perspective of the floor, the scale relationships, and the atmospheric recession all work together to create this spatial push.
• Rendering the figures' faces too clearly or too finished. These should remain secondary to the divine vision. Suggest them rather than define them; let the viewer's eye be drawn past the earthly observers toward the light.

beginner friendliness

value contrast

palette complexity

compositional simplicity

brushwork visibility