Piranesi, Giovanni Battista, << `pee` rah NEH zee, joh VAHN nee baht TEES tah >> (1720-1778), was an Italian printmaker known for his etchings of ancient Roman architecture. His works inspired architects to imitate Roman designs and influenced the neoclassical style in art of the 1700’s.
Piranesi’s prints of Rome were published in several collections, including more than 200 in Roman Antiquities (1756) and 135 in Views of Rome (1748-1778). Piranesi often exaggerated the size and grandeur of the ruins in his prints to show his admiration for the Romans. He also used dramatic highlights and dark shadows to create a feeling of mystery, particularly in a series of 16 etchings called Prisons (1745, 1760-1761). These pictures show enormous spaces crowded with chains, pulleys, ropes, stone arches, and high staircases. Human figures seem dwarfed and overpowered by the surroundings. Piranesi said he imagined these scenes while he was delirious from a fever. Artists of the romantic period of the early 1800’s admired these dreamlike fantasies.
Piranesi was born in Mogliano, Italy, near Venice. He studied architecture, stage design, drawing, and print-making as a youth.
