Pietro da Cortona (1596–1669), born Pietro Berrettini in Tuscany, emerged as one of the defining figures of the Italian Baroque. Trained in Florence and active chiefly in Rome, he studied with Andrea Commodi and rose quickly through elite patronage, especially from the Sacchetti and Barberini families. Cortona perfected the immersive language of grand decorative programs—vast ceiling schemes, illusionistic architecture, and dynamic figuration—unifying painting, stucco, and ornament into persuasive environments. A refined colorist, he fused Venetian warmth with Roman clarity, balancing movement and order to dramatize triumphal narratives and sacred themes. His workshop became a powerful engine of style, mentoring artists such as Ciro Ferri and Gianfrancesco Romanelli and transmitting his vision across Italy and Europe. Equally influential as an architect, he advanced a theatrical urban Baroque, shaping church façades and centralized plans that choreograph how viewers move and see. Service in the Accademia di San Luca strengthened his role as a leader of professional standards. Though tastes shifted late in his life, Cortona’s authority endured, particularly among decorative painters. He died in Rome in 1669. His legacy is the Baroque as a “total art,” where narrative, light, and space converge to command attention and emotion.