Caracci vs Pozzo (ceiling frescoes)
Renaissance artists were interested in the rational representation of space through perspective. But perspective implied continuity between the space of the viewer and that of the picture, and this was difficult to sustain when pictures were painted high up on walls. It was even harder when they were painted on ceilings, where the logical viewpoint was from underneath. Discuss the different approaches to space in the following two works, and why an artist might adopt one or the other.
__________________________________________________________________
Annibale Carracci was one of the most renowned Italian painters of the 17th century. His artistic ability derived from the training received by his family in the self-run Accademia degli Incamminati, one of the first art academies in Europe. The emphasis on classicism, anatomy and life drawing Carracci experienced become important in looking at the quadro riportato ceiling painting in the Palazzo Farnese.
The Carraccis rejected the mannerist movement and were leaders in advocating naturalistic, clear and classical representations of the human form and colour. The ceiling painting presents the subject of the love of gods in Classical mythology, a fitting decorative piece commissioned by Odoado Farnese for his brother, Ranuccio Farnese’s marriage. Although painted all in fresco, Carracci is able to present a three tiered, three-dimensional effect on an otherwise flat ceiling through the use of perspective, suggesting a sense of layered space. The first tier in representing a layered sense of space is the extended architecture and “sculptures.” Carracci extended the already existing architecture of the Palazzo Farnese by painting columns to create an illusion of extended space, generating a vast atmosphere in the room, a technique known as quadratura. In addition, Carracci painted trompe l’oeil sculptures next to the columns, as if the sculptures were supporting the building. To create the illusion of trompe
__________________________________________________________________
Annibale Carracci was one of the most renowned Italian painters of the 17th century. His artistic ability derived from the training received by his family in the self-run Accademia degli Incamminati, one of the first art academies in Europe. The emphasis on classicism, anatomy and life drawing Carracci experienced become important in looking at the quadro riportato ceiling painting in the Palazzo Farnese.
The Carraccis rejected the mannerist movement and were leaders in advocating naturalistic, clear and classical representations of the human form and colour. The ceiling painting presents the subject of the love of gods in Classical mythology, a fitting decorative piece commissioned by Odoado Farnese for his brother, Ranuccio Farnese’s marriage. Although painted all in fresco, Carracci is able to present a three tiered, three-dimensional effect on an otherwise flat ceiling through the use of perspective, suggesting a sense of layered space. The first tier in representing a layered sense of space is the extended architecture and “sculptures.” Carracci extended the already existing architecture of the Palazzo Farnese by painting columns to create an illusion of extended space, generating a vast atmosphere in the room, a technique known as quadratura. In addition, Carracci painted trompe l’oeil sculptures next to the columns, as if the sculptures were supporting the building. To create the illusion of trompe