Giovanni Battista Piranesi (Italian, 1720–1778) was a student of antiquity, a polemicist and theorist, a cartographer, an architect, a designer of books and decorative arts, a printmaker, and publisher. While his prolific prints and books provide exhaustive documentation on ancient and modern Rome, they also reveal the original and visionary sides of Piranesi who readily exaggerated features of Rome's buildings and created views of fantastic architecture, ruins, and antique compositions. At work in his studio and print shop ... Read more
Giovanni Battista Piranesi (Italian, 1720√¢‚Ǩ‚Äú1778) was a student of antiquity, a polemicist and theorist, a cartographer, an architect, a designer of books and decorative arts, a printmaker, and publisher. While his prolific prints and books provide exhaustive documentation on ancient and modern Rome, they also reveal the original and visionary sides of Piranesi who readily exaggerated features of Rome’s buildings and created views of fantastic architecture, ruins, and antique compositions. At work in his studio and print shop with his sons and daughter, Piranesi made over one thousand prints, manufactured decorative arts, and restored antiquities. Drawing on the GRI’s strong collection of Piranesi’s prints and books, the exhibition presents a synthetic portrait of the extraordinary range of his activities√¢‚Ǩ‚Äùfrom the polemics on ancient and modern art to the stylish “advertising” of his wares.
