# The Piazza and Church of Santa Maria Maggiore

[View the canonical artwork record](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/pannini-giovanni-paolo-r0c8b655f3387ea/the-piazza-and-church-of-santa-maria-maggiore-r6ba607c45d8ee8>)

## Artwork

- Artist: [PANNINI, Giovanni Paolo](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/pannini-giovanni-paolo-r0c8b655f3387ea>)
- Date: 1701-1750
- Technique: Oil on canvas

## Commentary

Pannini was one of the most accomplished vedutisti \(view-painters\) of the eighteenth century. He came from a long tradition of Emilian view-painters and scenery-painters. In 1715 he moved to Rome where he first worked as a decorator painting counterfeit architecture in various palaces. He then found a fuller creative voice by painting scenes of holidays or special events. The spectacular backdrops he used for these works were the squares and buildings of Rome. The beauty of these monumental backgrounds, bathed in clear light that seemed to exalt the very notion of the Eternal City, was so powerful that he had no need of a narrative pretext for them. Many of Pannini&#39;s paintings are simple views animated by lively little figures. He had a considerable influence on Canaletto and the great Venetian view-painters of the eighteenth century. &lt;P&gt; &lt;TABLE ALIGN=LEFT CELLPADDING=5 BORDER=1 WIDTH=320 BGCOLOR=&#34;\#99CCCC&#34;&gt; &lt;TR VALIGN=MIDDLE&gt;&lt;TD&gt;&lt;IMG SRC=&#34;/support/gif/listen.gif&#34; BORDER=0 VALIGN=MIDDLE&gt; Suggested listening \(streaming mp3, 5 minutes\):&lt;BR&gt;&lt;A HREF=&#34;\#&#34; onClick=&#34;w=window.open \(&#39;/music1/17\_cent/stradella\_sinfonia.html&#39;, &#39;newWin&#39;, &#39;scrollbars=yes,status=no,dependent=yes,screenX=0,screenY=0,width=350,height=350&#39;\);w.opener=this;w.focus\(\);return true&#34;&gt;&lt;B&gt;Alessandro Stradella: Sinfonia avanti il Barcheggio&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/A&gt; &lt;/TD&gt;&lt;/TR&gt;&lt;/TABLE&gt;

## Related artworks

- [Alexander the Great at the Tomb of Achilles](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/pannini-giovanni-paolo-r0c8b655f3387ea/alexander-the-great-at-the-tomb-of-achilles-r17a45c221f57ac>)
- [Alexander the Great Cutting the Gordian Knot](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/pannini-giovanni-paolo-r0c8b655f3387ea/alexander-the-great-cutting-the-gordian-knot-rab7a433b3f0289>)
- [Apostle Paul Preaching on the Ruins](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/pannini-giovanni-paolo-r0c8b655f3387ea/apostle-paul-preaching-on-the-ruins-r3c45c2a20e271e>)
- [Architectural Capriccio](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/pannini-giovanni-paolo-r0c8b655f3387ea/architectural-capriccio-r72e6012b1b100a>)
- [Architectural Capriccio](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/pannini-giovanni-paolo-r0c8b655f3387ea/architectural-capriccio-rc543fbf7ef8a97>)
- [Belisarius at the Gate of Constantinople](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/pannini-giovanni-paolo-r0c8b655f3387ea/belisarius-at-the-gate-of-constantinople-r8f81a5cd1bb430>)
- [Capriccio of Classical Ruins](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/pannini-giovanni-paolo-r0c8b655f3387ea/capriccio-of-classical-ruins-r275ce1208213b9>)
- [Capriccio of Classical Ruins](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/pannini-giovanni-paolo-r0c8b655f3387ea/capriccio-of-classical-ruins-rf965ef12e48ef4>)
- [Charles III at St Peter&#39;s](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/pannini-giovanni-paolo-r0c8b655f3387ea/charles-iii-at-st-peters-r5e082e7689377b>)
- [Classical Ruins with Figures](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/pannini-giovanni-paolo-r0c8b655f3387ea/classical-ruins-with-figures-r1cad030c980265>)
- [Departure of the Duc de Choiseul from the Piazza di San Pietro](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/pannini-giovanni-paolo-r0c8b655f3387ea/departure-of-the-duc-de-choiseul-from-the-piazza-di-san-pietro-r9871e8ff8f9cb3>)
- [Expulsion of the Moneychangers from the Temple](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/pannini-giovanni-paolo-r0c8b655f3387ea/expulsion-of-the-moneychangers-from-the-temple-r395fc070f22f4e>)

## Attribution

[Web Gallery of Art](<https://beta.wga.hu/pages/about>)