Piranesi: Views of Rome
Giovanni Battista Piranesi was active in Rome in the mid-18th century, at a time when the city attracted intellectuals from all over Europe who gathered against the backdrop of its celebrated centuries-old buildings. In his time, Rome was one of the major centers of the Enlightenment: a mandatory destination on the Grand Tour undertaken by members of the aristocracy to explore the cultural capitals of Europe, and a focal point for the study of classical culture for artists and intellectuals. Piranesi created countless etchings in Rome featuring the city's sights, making a name for himself throughout Europe. The Haifa Museum of Art collection is blessed with a considerable selection of these etchings.
It is difficult to separate Piranesi the artist from Piranesi the archaeologist. Trained as an architect, Piranesi explored, documented, and preserved many of the archaeological finds that adorn Rome. His meticulously accurate compositions, however, do not seek only to document and preserve the past, and they go far beyond touristy souvenirs depicting the city's vibe in those days. Piranesi regards Rome as a stage on which relics from antiquity, churches from the early Middle Ages, magnificent buildings from the Renaissance, and figures from the 18th century perform side by side. All these are jumbled together, introducing Rome as an archaeological mound of knowledge and life. Piranesi's etchings radiate nostalgia for the splendor of the past, in whose heavy shadow contemporaries have no choice but to reflect with melancholy on what had been and is no more.
Giovanni Battista Piranesi
1720, Mogliano Veneto (Republic of Venice) – 1778, Rome
All works: etchings on paper, collection of Haifa Museum of Art
