“Illusionary perspective technique in historical buildings yards: experimental research for their valorization. The case study for Bibiena in Bologna”

This study on architectural representation focuses on the Quadratura genre, an illusory type of architectural painting that uses the perspective technique to create the illusion of a three-dimensional space on a plane or vaulted surface. The subjects of this work are the perspective scenes frescoed on the 18th century courtyards found in Northern Italy historical buildings. Many of them unfortunately have been lost throughout the years. After having screened several of these perspective canvases found in the city of Bologna, I selected two scenes created by Ferdinando and Antonio Galli Bibiena, two famous architects and stage designers of 18th century, for this case study. For a better understanding of the entire composition we would suggest to follow the rules of inverse perspective. This study aims at a digital reconstruction of the lost scene, using historical documents and a combination of different architectural survey techniques. © 2013 IEEE