1750
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
A Stage Design for an Opera with Actors is a 1750 ink by Giuseppe Galli Bibiena, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This drawing shows a grand, fake stage set for an opera. Tall columns line up in rows, leading to a deep, arched background. Figures in old-fashioned clothes walk on a flat floor, while above them, angels and ornate decorations fill the sky. The walls and ceiling look like carved stone, but it’s all just ink on paper. The artist used tiny lines to create shadows and depth, making the scene look three-dimensional. This trick was common in stage designs back then. Look up cross-hatching to see how artists build up shadows with lines.
Giuseppe Galli Bibiena (5 January 1696 - 12 March 1757), Italian designer, became the most distinguished artist of the Galli da Bibiena family.
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