Palazzio: Love of art becomes a religious experience

Nation's Restaurant News,  Dec 21, 1998  by Amy Zuber

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SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- After taking his first look at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, Ken Boxer decided that the beauty of Michelangelo's masterpiece did not have to be confined to its Vatican City venue.

Boxer, who at the time of his Roman sojourn owned an Italian restaurant in Santa Barbara called Palazzio, decided that its second location there would house an adaptation of the renowned work of art to attract hungry diners.

"When I went to see the Sistine Chapel two years ago, I got goose bumps," Boxer said. "I said to myself, "This is something I want to put in my restaurant someday. Going to the Sistine Chapel is a must-do when in Rome. If I could replicate it, maybe I would get a lot of people wanting to see it.'"

Today, the 24- by 50-foot ceiling in the second Palazzio, which opened in May, is covered completely by an artist's rendition of Michel-angelo's famed frescoes.

"The ceiling is a masterpiece that I thought would bring people into the restaurant," Boxer said. "Although I have only been open since May, I know I am getting people through word of mouth. No one ever thinks of putting art on the ceiling, and yet one of the world's greatest pieces of art is on a ceiling.

The 90-seat restaurant cost about $400,000 to open, according to Boxer, who declined to disclose the price he paid for the ceiling mural but estimated its value at between $100,000 and $150,000.

"Even though you want people to stare at the food, design is important too," Boxer said. "I want people to get the feeling that they are sitting below something historic. I want them to feel like they are in an Italian restaurant in Italy."

Boxer's two restaurants share the name Palazzio as well as similar food -- large portions of Italian fare -- and a self-service system of wine pouring. But one of the major differences between the two restaurants is their decor. In contrast to the original Palazzio location in suburban Montecito, where the restaurant's principal artworks are two large wall paintings of the Italian countryside, the branch in central Santa Barbara has a different look beneath its crowning glory.

"We have kept the sides of the walls very simple so when people come in to dine, they are all staring up at the ceiling," Boxer said.

For the mural, Boxer commissioned artist Irene Roderick of Austin, Texas, who also created the wall paintings for the Palazzio in Montecito. Although Michelangelo painted directly onto the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, Roderick worked on canvas instead. Because of the restaurant's 1 6-foot-high ceiling, most customers cannot tell that the mural was painted on canvas, Boxer said, adding that the material has the advantage of absorbing sound and reducing noise in the dining room.

Roderick calls her work "a loose rendition" of the Sistine Chapel. Using art books as guides, she took figures from the ceiling's main panel and then simplified them. Roderick also said Boxer asked her to paint loin cloths onto the nude male figures in order to make the artwork more appropriate for a family-dining atmosphere.

While working from her home in Texas, Roderick sent Boxer photographs of her progress. She completed the rendition on six rectangular pieces of canvas that eventually were connected to form one mural in the restaurant. While Michelangelo spent 15 years on the Sistine Chapel, Roderick finished the project in about eight months. Boxer said it took eight workers two days to install the canvas on the ceiling.

As an artist, Roderick said she likes displaying her work in restaurants.

"People are not exposed to art a lot in their everyday lives, but they do go out to eat a lot," she said. "It is a good way for me to get exposure. People don't go to galleries and museums as much as they should."

Roderick's mural has become a work-in-progress. In the center of the dining room and 5 feet above Palazzio's ceiling is a rectangular skylight. Boxer recently decided he wants Roderick to paint cherubic characters -- in a style that fits with the Renaissance theme -- on the skylight.

"Since everyone is looking at the ceiling, I want to really highlight this beautiful skylight that is right in the middle of the dining room," Boxer said. "I want to give a feeling of depth. I want to make sure the characters are looking down on us rather than looking up. When customers are in the dining room, I want them to feel as if the characters are looking at them."

Another design element in Palazzio centers around baffled lighting that casts a soft pink glow throughout the restaurant.

"The reason is that people's skin looks better under this kind of lighting," Boxer said.

The space, which formerly was a dark bar with a Hawaiian theme, had drop ceilings and shingled overhangs jutting out from the sides of the walls. Boxer tapped the design team at Dawn Sherry & Associates in Santa Barbara to renovate the space by removing the overhangs, adding windows and elevating the ceilings.