Quadratura is a term introduced during the
Baroque period in
Italy to describe simulated or illusionistic architecture.
Renaissance artists such as
Baldassare Peruzzi had experimented with painted architectural settings, but this became a more elaborate exercise in future generations. This allowed simple ceilings to be frescoed with elaborate perspectives, typically opening up to a painted sky.
A prominent school of quadratura arose in Baroque
Bologna.