riportato

Riportato is an Italian art term used to describe a pictorial technique in which figures or elements appear to project forward from a flat background, producing a sculptural or relief-like effect. The word itself derives from riportare, meaning to bring forward or to report. In practice, riportato can involve crisp, well-defined edges, strong contrasts of light and shadow, and sometimes the use of painted or slightly raised supports to separate the figures from the surrounding plane. This creates the impression that the figures occupy a relief carved into the surface, rather than simply lying on a two-dimensional field.

The technique is most closely associated with Baroque painting and its emphasis on dynamism, theatricality, and architectural illusion. Riportato effects are frequently employed in ceiling and façade allegories to enhance spatial drama and to differentiate foreground figures from the architectural context through a heightened sense of volume. It is often discussed in relation to illusionistic practices such as quadratura, though riportato focuses more on the perceived three-dimensionality of painted forms rather than on actual architectural elements.

Riportato is primarily a descriptive term used by art historians to characterize certain handling of form and edge within a composition. It can be found in Italian and Northern European painting from the late Renaissance through the 17th and 18th centuries, though its specific application and emphasis vary by artist and context. While the effect resembles relief, it remains a visual technique rather than a sculptural one, achieving projection through painting rather than through actual relief sculpture.