1660
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
River Landscape with View of St. Peter's Basilica is a 1660 by Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You’re looking at a river winding through thick trees, with the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica poking up in the distance. The foliage is so busy it almost hides the church. Grimaldi painted this after the dome was finished, but he didn’t make it the star. Instead, he tucked it behind branches, like a secret you spot only after a second glance. The dome was Michelangelo’s design, and it changed Rome’s skyline forever. If you like this quiet way of showing famous landmarks, look up *subject: italy, 17th century*.
With much of Saint Peter’s Basilica obscured by the energetic lines that form the foliage, the building appears integrated into the landscape in this river scene. What stands out is the massive dome jutting from the tree line. Designed by Michelangelo in 1547, the dome was completed in 1590, after his death. Michelangelo made many contributions to the architecture of Rome, but it was the dome of Saint Peter’s that fundamentally altered the city’s iconic skyline. Although loosely sketched and without fine detail, the dome in this drawing remains immediately recognizable as an emblem of Rome.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi (1606 – 28 November 1680) was an Italian painter, draughtsman, printmaker and architect. He was an accomplished fresco painter of classical landscapes which were popular with leading Roman families.
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