Alessandro Salucci (1590 – 1657): The Architect of Illusion Alessandro Salucci, born in Florence around 1590, emerged as a pivotal figure within the Florentine Baroque landscape—a painter who distinguished himself not merely for his artistic skill but for his groundbreaking approach to architectural illusion. Unlike many of his contemporaries who focused on realistic depictions of buildings and spaces, Salucci pioneered the “capriccio,” an imaginative genre that blended observation with fantasy, transforming ordinary views into fantastical compositions brimming with symbolic meaning. His wor…