Rome fetes Piranesi
Show spotlights etchings of his fictitious 'prison series'
30 July, 18:33
(ANSA) - Rome, July 30 - A selection of the original plates
used by 18th-century artist Giovanni Battista Piranesi in
etchings that helped reshape popular images of Rome has gone on
show in the Italian capital.
Of the surviving 1,191 original plates by Piranesi, 945 of
which signed by the artist, the exhibition's curators have
chosen the originals of his best known works.
On show are numerous plates from his best-known 'vedute'
(views) of Rome, which shot the artist to fame.
They include etchings from his first series on
architecture and perspective in 1743, as well as his second
series, Various Views of Ancient and Modern Rome, produced in
1745.In addition to his Rome views, the exhibition features the entire 16 creations in his fictitious "prisons series", the Carceri, whose fantastic imagery inspired influential novelists and artists for decades to come. Although not strictly part of the prison series, the reverse of two of the Carceri plates is also on display, revealing a hidden work abandoned by Piranesi who was annoyed at its perceived imperfections.
The original plate was split in two and used for other etchings but the original creation, rediscovered in the 1960s, shows an exquisite representation of the Fall of Phaeton.
Born in Venice in 1720, Piranesi trained there as an engineer and architect before moving to Rome.
His studies included perspective and stage design, which, combined with his thorough grasp of archaeology, ensured the technical accuracy and artistic success of his etchings. Piranesi completed his first view of the city in 1743, while studying etching in Rome. He spent the next couple of years in Venice but after his return to Rome in 1745, he began producing a series of views, including 135 etchings. This work not only pushed Piranesi into the public limelight, it also shaped standard visions of Rome over the coming centuries, 'restoring' the capital's stunning remains to their original grandeur.
By contrast, his visionary Carceri series, which feature enormous subterranean vaults with spiraling staircases and industrial machinery, are famous for inspiring Romanticism and Surrealism. Giambattista Piranesi. Matrici Incise 1743-1753 ('Giambattista Piranesi. Engraved Plates 1743-1753) is on show at Rome's Palazzo Poli until August 17.
