Giovanni Lanfranco, the dizzying heights of Baroque

Third edition of this eloquent exhibition dedicated to Giovanni Lanfranco, a Baroque painter little known to the general public; after travelling to Colorno and Naples, the exhibition - curated by a great expert on Lanfranco Erich Schleier - now comes to Palazzo Venezia in Rome. There are approximately a hundred works on show, more than the previous exhibitions, and all are illustrated in a special catalogue published by Electa, with additional material included for the Rome edition. The capital city represents a fitting setting to restore fame and glory to this painter, who was one of the most celebrated artists during his lifetime. Lanfranco was the favourite painter of Pope Paul V Borghese; between 1610 and 1630 he was greatly sought after by noble Roman families. 
For years scholars have debated how an artist of such standing and renown came to be all but forgotten. Perhaps the reason lies in the fact that many works by Lanfranco were destroyed: the Camerino degli eremiti, painted for the Farnese family in Palazzetto Farnese, plus the Loggia of Galleria Borghese, the frescos of which were redone in the eighteenth century by Domenico Corvi, are just two such examples. Lanfranco was in actual fact the first creator of a Baroque language of expression, with ethereal and diagonal lines, light, airy visions and harmonious compositions. The exhibition rooms also offer the possibility of viewing a reconstruction, with visual aids, of the chapel of the Sant'Andrea della Valle Church in Rome, which Lanfranco painted between 1623 and 1628.  Along with this initiative, there are also guided tours of the actual church, equipped with special lighting specifically studied to enhance the characteristics. The dome of the church of Sant'Andrea is the first example of Baroque illusionism, with the creation of continuity between artificial and real space. 
The exhibition is complemented by a series artistic and cultural itineraries through places linked to the artist's work, normally not open to the general public, including palazzo del Quirinale, Santa Maria dell'Orazione e Morte, palazzo Mattei and palazzo Farnese.

Giovanni Lanfranco, la vertigine del Barocco
Palazzo Venezia Museum, Via del Plebiscito 118, Rome
from 16 March to 16 June 2002
every day from 9.00 am to 7.00 pm
Full price ticket: 8 euros. Concessions: 6 euros
Bookings and information: tel. 0632810
fax 0632651329

Giovanni Lanfranco, the dizzying heights of Baroque

Third edition of this eloquent exhibition dedicated to Giovanni Lanfranco, a Baroque painter little known to the general public; after travelling to Colorno and Naples, the exhibition - curated by a great expert on Lanfranco Erich Schleier - now comes to Palazzo Venezia in Rome. There are approximately a hundred works on show, more than the previous exhibitions, and all are illustrated in a special catalogue published by Electa, with additional material included for the Rome edition. The capital city represents a fitting setting to restore fame and glory to this painter, who was one of the most celebrated artists during his lifetime. Lanfranco was the favourite painter of Pope Paul V Borghese; between 1610 and 1630 he was greatly sought after by noble Roman families. 
For years scholars have debated how an artist of such standing and renown came to be all but forgotten. Perhaps the reason lies in the fact that many works by Lanfranco were destroyed: the Camerino degli eremiti, painted for the Farnese family in Palazzetto Farnese, plus the Loggia of Galleria Borghese, the frescos of which were redone in the eighteenth century by Domenico Corvi, are just two such examples. Lanfranco was in actual fact the first creator of a Baroque language of expression, with ethereal and diagonal lines, light, airy visions and harmonious compositions. The exhibition rooms also offer the possibility of viewing a reconstruction, with visual aids, of the chapel of the Sant'Andrea della Valle Church in Rome, which Lanfranco painted between 1623 and 1628.  Along with this initiative, there are also guided tours of the actual church, equipped with special lighting specifically studied to enhance the characteristics. The dome of the church of Sant'Andrea is the first example of Baroque illusionism, with the creation of continuity between artificial and real space. 
The exhibition is complemented by a series artistic and cultural itineraries through places linked to the artist's work, normally not open to the general public, including palazzo del Quirinale, Santa Maria dell'Orazione e Morte, palazzo Mattei and palazzo Farnese.

Giovanni Lanfranco, la vertigine del Barocco
Palazzo Venezia Museum, Via del Plebiscito 118, Rome
from 16 March to 16 June 2002
every day from 9.00 am to 7.00 pm
Full price ticket: 8 euros. Concessions: 6 euros
Bookings and information: tel. 0632810
fax 0632651329