Design for a Stage Set: Classical Arcaded Gallery with Triumphal Arch Motif 1757 - 1839

Paolo Landriani designed this stage set around 1790, using pen and brown ink with gray wash on paper. The drawing presents a symmetrical architectural design with an arcaded gallery receding into deep space, creating an illusion of grandeur. Landriani uses linear perspective to draw the eye, employing a formal structure that echoes classical ideals of order and proportion. The triumphal arch motif, repeated throughout the design, emphasizes this sense of formal, structured space. However, the stage set also plays with ideas of illusion and reality central to theatrical design. The repetitive nature of the arcades and columns challenges fixed perspectives. The architectural forms invite us to consider not just the beauty of the space but also its constructed nature, revealing the artifice behind visual representation. The composition is not merely decorative; it serves as a structural framework through which Landriani engages with prevailing ideas about space and perception. The drawing, therefore, becomes a site of visual and intellectual play.