Piranesi Selection

Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778) one of the greatest printmakers of the eighteenth century, soon after his arrival in Rome in 1740 apprenticed himself to the medium of etching at his master, Giuseppe Vasi. The knowledge of ancient building methods demonstrated by Piranesi's archaeological prints in his Antichità Romane of 1756 won him election to the Society of Antiquarians of London. In the series Grotteschi and the Carceri, Piranesi explored the possibilities of perspective and spatial illusion while pushing the medium of etching to its limits. While Piranesi championed the art of Rome, he was not indifferent to the charms of Greek art, nor to that of the Egyptians, as is evident from the series Diverse maniere d'adornare i camini of 1769, which includes etched plates in the Etruscan, Greek, Roman, and even Rococo styles. By 1747, Piranesi had begun the work for which he is best known, the Vedute di Roma (Views of Rome), and he continued to produce plates for the series until the year of his death in 1778. Piranesi argued for the complete freedom of the architect to draw on models from every time and space as an inspiration for his own inventions. Piranesi's etchings, being popular souvenirs among the wealthy tourists of the time visiting the historical beauties of Italy on the Grand Tour, circulated throughout Europe influencing decorative trends. Piranesi's popular Vedute, which eclipsed earlier views of Roman landmarks through their dynamic compositions, bold lighting effects, and dramatic presentation, are considered to be one of the best expression of neoclassicism.