Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720, Mogliano Veneto – 1778, Rome), "View of the Roman Capitol with the Staircase Leading to the Church of Araceli" from the series "Views of Rome," ca. 1757

Bibliography
Focillon 807
Hind 38
Wilton-Ely 147
Ficacci 885
Calcography 759

Biography
Italian printmaker and architect. He studied in Venice, from where he traveled for scholarly purposes to Naples, Herculaneum, and Pompeii. From 1745 onward, he worked in Rome. His architectural works include the reconstruction of the Church of S. Maria del Priorato (1765) and the villa of the Order of the Knights of Malta in Rome. Piranesi’s most important field of activity was his studies of ancient architecture and art (especially in Rome), supported by numerous travels, architectural research, measurements, and drawings, which resulted in a vast number (over 2,000) graphic works (etchings, copperplate engravings) depicting views of ancient buildings, archaeological finds, and architectural fantasies. In his engravings, Piranesi presented an evocative vision of ancient Roman architecture, in which, while remaining faithful to detail, he created synthetic views of ancient buildings, exaggerating them in striking perspective compositions and dramatizing them through the use of strong chiaroscuro contrasts. Piranesi’s engravings gained great popularity, influencing the spread of interest in antiquity and the development of Classicism.