Painter who preserved scenes of Rome
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| Giovanni Paolo Panini, in a portrait by Louis Gabriel Blanchet |
Giovanni Paolo Panini, an artist mainly known for his views
of Rome, was born on this day in 1691 in Piacenza.
He is particularly remembered for his view of the interior
of the Pantheon, commissioned by the Venetian collector, Francesco Algarotti,
in around 1734.
The Pantheon was as much a tourist attraction in Panini’s
day as it is today and Panini manipulated the proportions and perspective to
include more of the interior that is actually visible from any one vantage
point.
Indeed, many of his works, especially those of ruins, have slightly unreal embellishment. He sought to meet the needs of visitors
for painted postcards depicting scenes of Italy and his clients were often happy with minor distortions of reality if it meant they could show off a unique picture.
As a young man, Panini trained in his native town of Piacenza. He moved to Rome where he studied drawing. His work was to influence
other painters, such as Canaletto, who resolved to do for Venice what Panini
had done for Rome and, of course, enjoyed enormous fame and success.
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| Panini's view of the inside of the Pantheon typified his use of manipulated perspective |
Much in demand, Panini also became famous as the decorator
of Roman palaces. He was hailed for his frescoes at the Villa Patrizi, painted
between 1719–1725. He was also noted for his work at the Palazzo de Carolis
(1720), and the Seminario Romano (1721–1722).
He also painted some portraits, including one of Pope
Benedict XIV.
Panini taught in Rome at the Accademia di San Luca and the
Académie de France. From 1754, he served as the principal of the Accademia di
San Luca.
His use of perspective was later the inspiration for the
Panini projection, which was instrumental in displaying panoramic views. He was professor of perspective at the Académie
de France.
He died in Rome on 21 October 1765 at the age of 74.
Travel tip:
The Pantheon in Piazza della Rotonda in Rome is considered
to be Rome’s best preserved ancient building. It was built in AD 118 on the
site of a previous building dating back to 27 BC. It was consecrated as a
church in the seventh century and many important people are buried there,
including Victor Emmanuel II, his son, Umberto I, and his wife, Queen
Margherita.
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| Canaletto's Grande Veduta of the Grand Canal is on display at Ca' Rezzonico |
Travel tip:
Many of Canaletto’s paintings of Venice are in museums and
private collections around the world, particularly in England and the United
States, A small number are on display in Ca’ Rezzonico in Venice, a palace on
the Grand Canal, open to tourists.
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