Representation and Elaboration of Examples of Painted Architecture

Nodal-photography techniques allow the perception of real spaces and their decoration in a dynamic and three-dimensional form. The virtual reconstructions obtained with 3D models illustrate the hypothetical configuration of the illusory spaces represented in the frescoes. Due to the presence of architectural elements, which are recognisable in the representation, it is possible to apply the methods of reverse-perspective constructions so to reconstruct and three-dimensionally model the represented spaces. With their decorated walls and vaults, these spaces make up a complex network of frescoes and stucco, where the painted architecture creates an illusory space in close relation with the real space. The aim is to reconstruct the perspective illusory spaces, drawn on the flat and curve surfaces, in order to identify the relationship between the decorated rooms and the real space. However, the method of perspective reconstruction must be integrate by considerations based on perception and on the influence of materials and light. It should also take into account the critical evaluation regarding the illusory space the artists were seeking to depict in their representation. The extensive knowledge of the geometric constructions of linear perspective that these artists had is fully documented. It is therefore interesting to produce a virtual reconstruction of the represented space also to research on the reasons for any transgression from the norm. The reasons for such transgressions might be found in their current stage in the development of the concept of perspective, that expresses their will to perfect the 3D illusions by widening the viewpoints. From the seventeenth century onwards, decoration in Genoa reflects this fashion, which involves (in paintings) three-dimensional elements, such as stuccos and frames, in order to achieve an integration of the figurative arts, where the unifying elements are the real and virtual architectures.