“In this world that Davide created, the paintings become a character unto themselves,” said David Levy, Vice President of Artistic Operations.  

Levy worked with Livermore and Director of Design and Technology Drew Billiau to select the paintings, including some from the Barnes and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Then D-Wok, an entertainment design group out of Italy, transformed the paintings into compelling scenery, complete with smoking chimneys and twinkling starts, by breaking down high-resolution photos and replicating the brushstrokes to create movement. 

“What I really liked about a lot of this imagery is all the animation is still the style of the art,” Billiau said. “In a sense, it’s as if the artist had that tool available to them, this is what it would have looked like.” 

The dedication to detail took time, and all of the pieces didn’t come together until opening night. “It took forever to download,” Levy said, as it took a dedicated computer to transmit all the files from across the Atlantic.  

“We’d be down to the last minute, waiting for a piece of artwork, and you wouldn’t see it at the final rehearsal,” Billiau said.   

But “it all came together,” Billiau said. “It’s just amazing to watch these pieces that you see in static imagery blown up this big and moving and interacting with the singers. There’s just this magic about it that really amazing.”  

One standout moment is when Van Gogh’s Sunflowers appear on the wall, painted in black and white. “The moment Mimì and Rodolfo kiss, all the sudden it blossoms into color,” Levy said.  “It’s simple, but incredibly effective.”