Gennaro Greco

Gennaro Greco also known as "Il Mascacotta" (1663–1714) was an Italian architectural painter who was active in Naples during the late Baroque period. He is known for his architectural paintings, capricci, compositions with ruins, as well as his vedute. His vedute fall mostly in the category of the so-called vedute ideate which represent closely observed views of completely imaginary landscapes.

Life Greco was born and worked in Naples. He was nicknamed 'il Mascacotta' (the Cooked Face) due to a severe burn that had deformed his face. He originally trained as an ornamental painter. He was inspired to paint vedute after studying works by Andrea Pozzo. Pozzo had written a treatise about perspective for painters and architects, the Perspectiva pictorum et architectorum (1693-1700).

Greco died after falling off a scaffolding while working on a fresco on a church vault in nearby Nola. Most of Greco's paintings are paintings of architecture, either ruins, ideal architecture, or capricci, in a landscape setting. He was known for creating so-called vedute ideate which represent detailed landscapes which are completely imaginary. Art historians interpret the growing popularity of the architectural piece in 17th century Italy as the result of a shift of patronage from 'committente' to 'acquirente', that is, from painting on commission to painting on the open market. Architectural canvases were particularly welcome within the typical 17th-century decorative ensemble, where walls were completely covered with paintings of various types and sizes. The architectural piece lent variety to such ensembles by introducing the strong verticals and horizontals of its subject matter. The roots of this type of vedute can be found in 16th-century painting, and in particular in the architectural settings that were painted as the framework of large-scale frescoes and ceiling decorations known as quadratura. These architectural elements gained prominence in 17th-century painting to become stand-alone subjects of easel paintings.

A number of artists practised this genre. Alessandro Salucci, Viviano Codazzi and Ascanio Luciani were important 17th-century practitioners of the genre. Greco's architectural compositions are a link between Viviano Codazzi and the Neapolitan whims of Leonardo Coccorante (active in Naples in the first half of the 18th century).

Greco's mature work depicts imaginary ruins in a very carefully observed manner, often set by a bay with highly detailed ships and other structures. This is clear in the Capriccio with figures among classical ruins and ships beyond. In this composition, he created the illusion of depth by making the ruins lighter and lower contrast as they receded into the distance. The effect is emphasized by the fort and port structures in the distance, which are painted in purpley blues. His works are placed within the movement towards Arcadian landscapes at the end of the 17th century in Naples.