Under the magnifying glass: A view of the Bay of Naples, Looking Southwest from the Pizzofalcone towards Capo di Posilippo, 1791 by Giovanni Battista Lusieri (1755-1821)
The precision of the figures and architecture – first painstakingly depicted with pencil underdrawing – has led many to speculate that Lusieri used an optical device such as a camera obscura. However, eyewitness accounts of the artist at work do not support this theory. Lusieri painted the view over a period of two years from rooms in the Neapolitan residence of Sir William Hamilton, British envoy to the court of Naples. Hamilton commissioned it to hang in his London home, perhaps to serve as a reminder of this sunny scene when he returned to his often-gloomy homeland.
Lusieri is getting Sherlocked @ The Getty Center
July 18th, 2017
