“An artist of exceptional distinction, rising above a multitude of accomplished craftsmen.” [1]
Trained in the workshop of the Bibiena family, the foremost masters of Italian perspective painting, Giovanni Paolo Panini acquired an exceptional command of this art, which was particularly prized in the depiction of ancient ruins so admired by travellers of the Grand Tour. By 1711, Panini had settled in Rome under the guidance of Benedetto Luti. There, he developed a marked interest in drawing, which he studied assiduously. The beginnings of his career were distinguished by the accomplished execution of decorative schemes commissioned for palaces, which already demonstrated his mastery of the demanding technique of fresco painting. At the age of twenty-eight, his talent was recognised through his admission to the Congregazione dei Virtuosi, the prestigious papal academy of the Vatican.
“An exceptional master, an excellent painter of perspectives, landscapes, and architecture, who also excels in the art of painting figures” (eccellente maestro, ed insigne pittore di prospettive, di paesi, e d’architettura, per rendersi anche insigne, ed eccellente nelle figure) [2]
At the age of seventeen, after several months devoted to intensive research, drawing and calculation, Panini had mastered the principles of perspective in their entirety and applied his knowledge to the service of his art.
The positioning of the viewer, the architectural elements within the composition, and the height at which the figures are placed were all carefully considered. To achieve this, Panini skilfully employed foreshortening and cast shadows according to rigorous mathematical principles. The foreshortening derives from a projection known as di sotto in sù, while the arrangement of architectural elements relies upon the precise convergence of vanishing lines.
These principles governing the gradation of depth are revealed in this exceptional pair of pendant paintings. The first canvas presents the Colosseum in the background, a monument particularly admired and repeatedly depicted by the artist, together with Trajan’s Column in the foreground, rising amid scattered blocks of stone, silent witnesses to ancient constructions. In the second, the Temple of Minerva Medica occupies the background, the Temple of Hadrian the middle ground, and the Obelisk of Augustus the foreground.
In both compositions, “small figures in movement, whose beautiful poses delight” [3] enliven the whole. They are essential components of Panini’s visions of ancient ruins, bringing the works into dialogue with the contemporary world. They also serve as a precise means of conveying perspective: the figures in the middle and background, naturally reduced in scale, do not possess the same abundance of detail or the same intensity of light as those in the foreground.
Panini’s admission to the Accademia di San Luca marked a decisive turning point in his career, followed by a remarkable breakthrough on the Roman artistic scene. From his first commission from Marshal Melchior de Polignac onwards, prestigious commissions soon followed. The French ambassador in Rome had commissioned him to paint a scene depicting the festivities held for the birth of the son of Louis XV. The success of this work was such that, several years later, Cardinal de La Rochefoucauld commissioned him to represent the marriage of the Dauphin to the future Marie-Antoinette.
During the 1750s, the name of Giovanni Paolo Panini, celebrated as an explorer of the ruins of ancient architecture, resonated throughout Italy. In the Eternal City, French artists entered his studio to observe the work of this master, who had become the leading figure of a new classicising movement. He maintained close relationships with French artists living in Rome.
Panini probably signed his works according to the nationality of the patron: in Italian, GPP (Giovanni Paolo), and in Latin, a language in which he was proficient, IPP (Ioannes Paulus). One of his paintings was identified in French as JPP (Jean-Paul). This Gallicisation of his name led certain contemporary writers to refer to him as Paul Panini. It was partly through this connection that the artist formed a friendship with Nicolas Vleughels, Director of the Académie de France in Rome from 1724 to 1737, who later became his brother-in-law. This relationship enabled him to establish close ties with important French patrons, effectively making him the official painter of the French embassy. In an exceptional gesture, the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture warmly welcomed the artist, praising the quality of his brushwork.
“There are few, if any, who can be compared with him in his gift for perspective […]” [4]
At the Académie de France, Panini, an undisputed master, taught numerous Italian and French artists, many of whom continued his tradition, including Antonio Joli and Charles-Louis Clérisseau. Hubert Robert, one of the artist’s greatest admirers, drew upon certain groups of figures and architectural motifs from his master’s compositions.
M.O
