Sotto in su

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Sotto in su, meaning Seen from below in Italian, (also called di sotto in su) is a trompe l'oeil illusionistic painting technique used for ceilings to provide perspective. The elements above the viewer are rendered as if viewed in true vanishing point perspective. Technique creates the illusion of figures floating in the space above the viewer. This is used commonly in Italian Baroque fresco cycles in a style called Quadratura. Probably its first use was by Andrea Mantegna in the Camera degli Sposi in Mantua. Other notable uses are by Antonio da Correggio in the Duomo of Parma, Pietro da Cortona's Allegory of Divine Providence and Barberini Power in the Palazzo Barberini, and Andrea Pozzo's Apotheosis of St Ignatius [4] at the Roman church of Sant'Ignazio.