The Fall of Simon Magus c. 1745 - 1750

Pompeo Batoni made this dramatic oil painting, "The Fall of Simon Magus," at an unknown date. Batoni worked at a time when painters’ mastery of materials was crucial. Oil paint, with its capacity for blending and layering, allowed artists to create illusionistic effects and capture textures. But its use was also determined by market forces. The demand for paintings drove the economies of workshops, where assistants often prepared canvases and mixed paints, leaving the master to focus on the final composition. In this painting, notice how Batoni used the viscous quality of the paint to create a dynamic scene. The swirling draperies and the expressions of the figures were achieved through careful brushwork, building up layers of color and tone. This created an immersive experience for the viewer. Paintings like this were luxury items, symbols of status and taste. The skilled labor involved in their creation – from grinding pigments to the final brushstroke – reflected the social and economic structures of the time, as well as the cultural value placed on artistic skill.