Veduta, whim and theatrical setting · 1700 -1777

In a London recomposed like a stage, Antonio Joli unites the precision of the veduta with the imagination of whim and the scale of the opera setting.

Antonio Francesco Lodovico Joli was born in Modena in 1700 and died in Naples in 1777. Trained in Rome in the entourage of Giovanni Paolo Panini and marked by the tradition of Caspar van Wittel, he became at the same time painter of views, author of architectural whims and theater decorator. His career is European: he works in Modena, Perugia, Venice, Dresden, Madrid, London and Naples, adapting his outlook to cities, courtyards and opera stages. Between 1744 and 1748, he stayed in London and collaborated with the King's Theater in Haymarket. Between 1744 and 1748, he stayed in London and collaborated with the King's Theater in Haymarket. Capriccio with Saint Paul and the Old London Bridge, painted around 1745, brought together his two practices. In the foreground, imaginary ruins act as one antique decor; in the distance, the Thames, St. Paul's Cathedral, the Tower and Old London Bridge describe the contemporary city. Joli therefore chooses neither pure topography nor absolute fantasy: he builds a credible space where the spectator can travel between reality, memory and theater. The "Antonio Joli" selection notably compares Capriccio with Saint-Paul and Old London Bridge - Antonio Joli. His reading favors drawing.

Joli treats the city like an open stage: London remains recognizable, but imaginary antiquity gives it the depth of an opera set.