Giovanni Paolo Pannini (1691–1765) was an Italian artist active during the Baroque period. One of his well-known oil on canvas paintings is called Picture Gallery with Views of Modern Rome (see fig. 1) was painted in 1757. What makes this piece of work so magnificent compared to other Baroque paintings was the fact that this was paintings within a painting; and not only paintings are the ones featured here in Pannini’s work, sculptures are also included in the piece. In addition, just by looking on the scenery, anyone will have a gist on how museum curators back in the Baroque period organized their acquisitions. The group of men located at the center of the panel is organized together in a manner of conversing with one another as if all of them were wondering where they would place the remaining works of art inside the building. This painting was more than an aesthetic decoration; this was a visual record especially on the clothing of the period. Anyone will find this painting so interesting because just by looking, the eyes will be greeted by a cacophony of artistic images within a painting and each one of them even up to the tiniest detail was painted delicately which makes the work very remarkable knowing the painstaking process the artist had to endure just to paint those miniature paintings specifically for this painting.
As a carte blanche, the purpose of this essay to analyze the painting in terms of artistic elements and whether it is apt to be called as one of the greatest paintings of the Baroque. It is well-known that Baroque was an era popularized by Louis XIV of France and this style was characterized by the excessive designs so abstract yet so flamboyant at the same time. This painting embodies all the Baroque period traits. Depicted on this extravagant painting is the vast collection of artworks hanging on the gallery of Rome featuring prominent sculptures such as Michelangelo’s Moses as seen on the center on the right side of the panel. Other artworks were also displayed on its white marbled walls. The tall line of the slender columns found on the central aisle indicates the height of the building; hence, it was most likely that were as high as the Versailles Palace. Focusing on the central aisle, the illusion of depth has been emphasized by the vanishing point located on the center of the painting specifically outside the open door. The scale and proportion of every image sure follows the right portrayals according to the distance. Both the foreground and the background have a lot of painting and excessive design collection; however, the far the subject, the smaller they become and thus emphasizing their less importance. Meanwhile, the pigments used were based from the combination of warm and cool palettes. Almost the majority of the gentlemen conversing with each other are wearing feminine colors of waistcoats and suits. Only one person on the center on the left was outplaced simply by wearing a darker color than the rest of their comrades.
The lines on this painting emphasized movement, depth, and illusion of space. Chiaroscuro was highly used by the artist and it emphasized the three-dimensional space in the painting. The three-dimensional space was the result of adding a vanishing point on the center of painting and by following the vanishing point, the artist was able determine the size of the object whether it will follow the lines stretching from the vanishing point or not. This gave the painting the illusion of section of the museum aisle and through the use of vanishing point; the audiences are able to determine the length of the corridor. Aside from perspective sketching, another factor that added to the illusion of depth was the lighting. The light on the painting shines on the left side of the panel; therefore, all left parts of the artworks specifically the sculptures will be illuminated on their left hand side. Also, the light also gave the intensity and dramatic illumination on the painting; looking closely again, the brushstrokes used by the client were so diaphanous and thin that it is impossible to spot the strokes by simply viewing it from a distance. Additionally, the domed ceilings also used shading to emphasize the depth of the each item from the work. Furthermore, if the artist managed to establish the three-dimensional space to create the illusion of depth, the spatial arrangements of every painting on the picture does not seem to be balanced at all; the paintings hung on the wall are all arranged per columns. The columns of paintings were neither separated by a gap or space but rather these artworks are seen tightly compressed due to the lack of space available on the walls. Even on the smallest gaps and niches, slender and smaller versions of paintings were hung to fill in the gaps to make the image distribution more balanced and symmetrical to one another.
In addition, the painting combines various shapes: first the rest of the paintings and the interior architecture of the museum were mostly based from geometrical shapes while the human figures were based from the real life appearances. From the left side of the museum room up to the right side, the spaces between the columns and the walls were wide to create an ample pathway for those people who will watch and view the exhibit. It is sufficient to claim that the museum pathway was ergonomic in a sense that it will support the entry of the museum goers without overcrowding the entire aisle. But then again, the other paintings not set on display add to the cacophony of images dominating the picture. Perhaps the downside of the Baroque style paintings was the artist’s excessive attention to designs which lead to the overcrowding of image both on the foreground and background. The lack of empty space to let the eyes rest away from the excessive designs was not present; hence, the audience eyes will end up getting distracted by multitude of colored images adorning the walls. Also, the presence of more elaborate designs on the columns, ceiling, and the arches makes it impossible to concentrate to one section of the painting. Chances are that there will be more distractions to divert one’s attention away from their point of interest. The chaotic imagery of the Baroque style deprives the audience of the chance to examine the image as close as possible, the excess in design did not contribute in making the museum look elegant but rather, the over-design environment ruins the images and deprives them of their place within the building.
WORKS CITED
Pannini, Giovanni Paolo. Picture Gallery with Views of Modern Rome. c. 1757. Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.
