Il Liceo della Pittura c. 1638

Pietro Testa made this print, Il Liceo della Pittura, in Italy in the 17th century, using etching and engraving. It is a visual summary of how the art academy works, its organization and principles, and the kind of art that it values. Testa’s print comments on the social structure of his time, showing how artists looked to classical antiquity to find their models. It seems progressive, showing how artists should look to a wide range of sources, not just one style. There are lots of references to ancient Greek and Roman art. We can see the sculptures and buildings that Italian artists studied at this time. This connects to the institutional history of art education, especially the academy, an institution that shaped artistic production. To understand this image better, we might research academic theory and practice in the 1600s, and consider how the artist is either promoting it or critiquing it. Art gains meaning through its social and institutional context.