Ben-Hur Vista of Rome

This fifty-foot-wide backdrop is one of many painted for the religious epic Ben Hur. Although painted with a blue sky, the painting transforms to dusk when the lighting is low on the front of the backdrop and illuminated from behind. Painted for Day/Night effect, the windows are cut out and backed with China silk that is toned down with a subtle painted wash. The backdrop was reused for the Cohen Brothers 2016 film Hail, Caesar!