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How did Andrea Mantegna create an illusion of height in St. James Led to Martyrdom?
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Andrea Mantegna
Arrival of Cardinal Francesco Gonzaga, fresco by Andrea Mantegna, completed 1474; in the Camera degli Sposi, Palazzo Ducale, Mantua, Italy.
In St. James Led to Martyrdom, Andrea Mantegna created an illusion of height by employing his mastery of di sotto in su (from below to above) perspective.1
By establishing a viewpoint located below the lower frame of the composition, Mantegna successfully exaggerated the apparent height of the scene relative to the viewer. This technique, combined with his use of archaeologically accurate Roman architectural details, lent the depicted triumphal arch a sense of grandiose monumentality.1