La natura e le atmosfere nelle istantanee en plein air di Paestum

A new genre of landscape painting, characterized by immediate and systematic en plein air depictions, emerged during the Grand Tour in the late 18th century, particularly in Paestum. This study reveals that artists like Antonio Joli, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, John Robert Cozens, William Turner, Thomas Jones, Jacob Philipp Hackert, and Jean-Léon Gérôme pioneered this 'topographical' approach, documenting landscapes with documentary truth rather than classical ideals. The research involved critical analysis of their drawings, engravings, and paintings, alongside literary sources, uncovering a previously neglected work by Gérôme—a 1852 oil painting later published in an American art magazine. This finding highlights the shift from idealized to realistic landscape representation during this period.

Mansueto, L. (2012). La natura e le atmosfere nelle istantanee en plein air di Paestum. Annali Online Lettere - Ferrara, VI 1–2 (2011). https://doi.org/10.15160/1826-803X/544