Andrea dal Pozzo Biography, Life, Interesting Facts

Andrea Pozzo was born on November 30, 1642, in Trento, Holy Roman Empire (Trento currently resides in Italy).

Education

As a teenager, Andrea Pozzo attended a Jesuit high school. While here, he studied subjects in the humanities field, like history art, and literature.

Around 1959, Andrea Pozzo left his hometown and began studying under famous or influential artists of the time. Some of the artists he studied under were Palma il Giovane and Andrea Sacchi. He mostly kept his studies within Italy and the surrounding countries.

In 1960, Andrea Pozzo joined the Order of Discalced Carmelites. Later on, he joined the Jesuit Order in 1665.

Career

In 1668, Andrea Pozzo began working at the Casa Professa of San Fedele (The Prophetic House of San Fedele). This was a type of Jesuit Church. All Jesuit churches at the time were Roman Catholic.

In 1675, Andrea Pozzo completed one of his first famous works: the designing of frescoes at the Church of San Francisco Saverio and the Chiesa del SS. Martiri. Frescos are a type of art in which a painting is made with watercolor paints. However, the painting is put directly on a wet plaster wall or ceiling, instead of on paper. The wet paint and plaster help the design to stay for longer than if the wall were dry. This helped Pozzo’s art to make lasting impressions in the buildings that he worked on.

In the late years of the 1670’s, Andrea Pozzo continued to paint church frescoes. Some of the other churches he painted in during this time were the San Francis Xavier Church and the Church of SS Martiri. Sadly, neither of these churches still have his frescoes, as they have since faded away. Some things that have no faded are marble columns and bronze statues which he also made at the San Francis Xavier Church.

In the 1680’s, Andrea Pozzo continued to paint frescoes. By this time, rumors of his great work were spreading around Europe. He was well-known as a wonderful religious painter. It was in 681 that he was invited to paint in the Church of the Gesu. Here, he did one of his most famous works: Camere di San Ignazio. This painting took him years to complete.

In the 1690’s, Andrea Pozzo began focusing on sculpting, rather than painting. He made several altars of St. Ignatius for both the Church of Sant'ignazio and for the Church of the Gesu.

In the first decade of the 1700’s, Pozzo again turned his attention from one art form to another. This time, he shifted from sculpting to architecture. Around 1702, he helped to design both the Church of Chiesa del Gesu and the Church of San Bernardo. Later on, near 1707, he painted a fresco in Hercules Hall (Vienna) called Admittance of Hercules to Olympus.

Publications

Outside of visual art, Andrea Pozzo was also gifted with the talent of writing. However, when he wrote, he wrote about art. His publications are listed below.

Rules and Examples of Perspective
Perspective in Architecture and Painting

Death

Andrea Pozzo died on August 31, 1709, in Vienna. He was 66 years old when he passed away.