An anamorphic painting of Andrea Pozzo: entrance to the rooms of Saint Ignatius in Rome manortiz

(...) The entrance to the rooms of Saint Ignatius of Loyola was decorated in high Baroque style about 25 years after Ignatius's death by Andrea Pozzo - an accomplished painter less famous than some of his contemporaries - who also had a hand in the designs of the Church of the Gesù next door. The Church gets most of the attention, and, so, being Rome the Second Time, we'll skip it for now and focus on Saint Ignatius's rooms.
Pozzo's elaborately painted reception area is worth a long look. His elaborate use of trompe l'oeil is delightful here (even if puzzling to some visitors who say his angels look flat!). You have to know where to stand (there's a designated spot on the floor; guards will point it out) to get the full effect of his faux-perspective. Although the ceiling paintings in the adjacent church of the Gesù are considered Pozzo's masterpiece, these corridor paintings are not to be missed. They are stunning in their color, Baroque busyness, and "quadratura," which I now know means a combination of architecture and fancy. It was by reading a 1991 New York Times article that we found Pozzo's frescoes had been whitewashed and only discovered with the late 20th-century restoration of the rooms. Of course, Pozzo's high Baroque style reflects as well the Counter-Reformation, in which Ignatius played a major role. In contrast to this Baroque feast for the eyes, the austerity of Ignatius's rooms provides a quiet interlude for contemplation. On display are objects of the Saint's life, including his humble shoes (...)
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