Alessandro Baratta (April 16, 1639 – September 1, 1714) was an Italian painter and engraver.

Biography

He was born and died in

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...

. He is known in Parma for

quadratura Illusionistic ceiling painting, which includes the techniques of perspective ''di sotto in sù'' and ''quadratura'', is the tradition in Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo art in which ''trompe-l'œil'', perspective tools such as foreshortening, an ...

and elsewhere through a topographic engraving of a view in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

.Biografia degli artisti ovvero dizionario della vita e delle opere
by F. de Boni, page 60. He was born near the church of San Lorenzo, one of the oldest in Parma. He studied painting with

Francesco Maria Reti Francesco, the Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis", is the most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name include: People with the given name Francesco * Francesco I (disambiguation), sever ...

and at the age of 28 he entered the Compagnia di San Giuseppe, a confraternity particularly devoted to Saint Joseph that was founded in the church of Santa Croce. His first documented work dates back to 1668, when, on behalf of the College of Nobles, he realized the scenes and apparatuses for the baptism of Odoardo II Farnese, the first son of the Duke Ranuccio Farnese. A few years later, attention was paid to the trompe-l'œil decoration of the church of Santa Cristina, which the Florentine Filippo Maria Galletti was frescoing with episodes from the life of San Gaetano da Thiene, founder of the

Theatines The Theatines officially named the Congregation of Clerics Regular ( la, Ordo Clericorum Regularium), abreviated CR, is a Catholic order of clerics regular of Pontifical Right for men founded by Archbishop Gian Pietro Carafa in Sept. 14, 1524. I ...

who ran the church. The lack of funds had prevented the construction of the dome and the apse; the Baratta painted a large canvas that simulated, in a wide perspective, the cruises, the dome and the choir, creating a scenic effect that was much appreciated; the shadings were arranged so that those who entered the church could be made to believe that they were true. In 1672 he became the first regent of the Compagnia di San Giuseppe. Married to Maria Lucia, he went to live in the parish of San Paolo. In 1676 he was commissioned to restore the paintings of the church of Santa Croce and to re-fresco the vault. He also worked in the Duomo, where he painted frescoes on the ceiling and on the lunettes of the Chapel of the Living and the Dead. In 1689, when

Stefano Lolli Stefano is the Italian form of the masculine given name Στέφανος (Stefanos, Stephen). The name is of Greek origin, Στέφανος, meaning a person who made a significant achievement and has been crowned. In Orthodox Christianity the ach ...

from Bologna designed the court theater next to the Farnese theater, Baratta made the design, indicating its decorations and paintings. Between 1695 and 1697 he painted the dome of the church of Santa Lucia. His last documented works are the decoration of the chapel built in Santa Maria del Quartiere behind the high altar (1694) and of four faces in the church of the Certosa di San Girolamo (1699). He also worked in Naples, where he made a burin engraving representing the southern slope of the Camaldoli hill.

References

1639 births 1714 deaths Painters from Parma Italian Baroque painters Quadratura painters Italian engravers 17th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 18th-century Italian painters 18th-century Italian male artists {{Italy-painter-17thC-stub