Pietro Gonzaga

Pietro di Gottardo Gonzaga (contemporary French: Pierre Gothard Gonzague; Russian: Пьетро Гонзага; 25 March 1751 – 6 August [O.S.

[3] In 1779 Gonzaga debuted as solo stage designer in Teatro alla Scala production of ballets by Giuseppe Canziani and Sebastiano Gallet,[4] and stayed with this theatre until the 1792 season.

[7] Gonzaga's life changed after meeting prince Nikolay Yusupov, personal envoy of Catherine II of Russia to Italian states, who was based in Turin during 1784–1789.

[8] Gonzaga surprised Saint Petersburg audience by novel use of optical illusions and bold chiaroscuro that supported them (dim, diffused light of oil lamps of the period washed out subtle tones and called for radical, contrasting blacks and whites).

[3] Gonzaga became a trusted consultant to heiress and later empress Maria Fyodorovna, Golitsyn and Yusupov families and diversified into decorating palace interiors and landscape design.

"[12] Gonzaga summarized his experience and theory of theatrical presentation and illusion in a series of books printed in Saint Petersburg in French language, notably the 1807 Information a mon chef and 1800 La musique des yeux et l'optique theatrale (English: Music for the Eyes).

[11] As he grew older, Gonzaga gradually became more and more dissatisfied with the work of producing ephemeral follies that rarely lasted longer than a single theatrical season.

[3] He suffered depression, feeling that his life was spent in vain, and begged his patrons to offer him a chance to prove himself in architecture and leave a tangible trace of his talent.