In 1684 Pozzo was commissioned to complete the church of Sant'Ignazio in Rome. Two major tasks were identified. The first was to find a solution to the unfinished dome of the crossing. Pozzo's solution was to paint, on canvas, a false perspective of a dome with lantern (18m. in diameter) which he set into the drum. The second task was to paint a fresco in the vault of the nave to harmonize with the architecture and decoration of the church. As subject for the latter, the artist painted a scene of The Glory of S. Ignatius Loyola' and the 'Missionary Work of the Jesuit Order' (1688-94). The work depicts the Glory of Ignatius, with St Ignatius being welcomed by Christ and the Blessed Virgin as he enters Paradise. The effect of perspective creates the illusion of looking up at the sky through open colonnades. Using illusionistic architecture Pozzo followed the Baroque tradition of earlier quadratura painters. Additionally, however, the artist incorporated into the work the more recent achievements of Pietro da Cortana and Giovanni Ballista Gaulli in the use of heroic figures grouped in deep space, all of which were set out in overall patterns of light and shade. The result is a dynamic image of great bravura in its powerful illusionism and persuasion.' Research by Marlene Philion-Jacques, BA (Art History), for Archivision / 'Pozzo was a Jesuit priest and leading exponent of the baroque style. He was celebrated for his bold foreshortening and quadratura perspective, in which the lines of focus begin at the corners of the work and converge at a central vanishing point. Pozzo painted church ceilings (e.g., SantÍ Ignazio in Rome, 1688) with seemingly endless heavenly vistas. His illusionism influenced Solimena and Tiepolo and his treatise on perspective (1692-97) spread understanding of his techniques throughout Europe.' Source: www.bartleby.com/65/po/Pozzo-An.html
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Archivision Inc. (all images copyright Scott Gilchrist / Archivision.com)