Giovanni Battista Piranesi
1720–1778 · Italian · 32 artworks
Neoclassicismetchingperspective distortiondramatic lightingarchitectural renderingvedute
artist bio
Giovanni Battista Piranesi was an Italian artist celebrated for his etchings of Roman antiquities and his fantastical prison scenes. His work significantly influenced the Neoclassical movement and contributed to the romanticized vision of ancient Rome.
what you'll learn
Studying Piranesi's work teaches students about perspective, architectural rendering, and the use of light and shadow to create dramatic and atmospheric effects. His prints also offer insights into the historical context of 18th-century Rome and the fascination with classical antiquity.
related: Canaletto, Hubert Robert, William Hogarth
32 artworks
The Roman antiquities, t. 1, Plate XXXI. Temple of Antonius and Faustina.
1756
difficulty
Ancient temple invented and designed in the manner of those that were manufactured in honor of the goddess Vesta (recorded in 1743)
1743
difficulty
View of the Basilica of St. Lawrence Outside the Walls
difficulty
View of the Temple of Concord
difficulty
Egyptian Obelisk in the Plaza of St. John Lateran
difficulty
View the remains of the pronaos
difficulty
The Roman antiquities, t. 3, Plate XL. View of the Pyramid of Caius Cestius.
difficulty
Ancient school engineered by Egyptian and Greek
1750
difficulty
Statue of Vesta, or Mother Earth situated in the Villa Este in Tivoli
difficulty
View of the Arch of Septimius Severus
difficulty
Vestibule of an Ancient Temple
difficulty
The Prisons (plate VI)
difficulty
View of the Arch of Benevento in the Kingdom of Naples
difficulty
Arco di Settimio Severo
1759
difficulty
View of the Basilica of St. Maria Maggiore and the two factories side of that Basilica
difficulty
View of the Tomb of Caius Cestius
difficulty
View of the source and the caverns of Egeria
difficulty
Ruins of one of the chambers` soldiers at one of the leading factories in Hadrian`s Villa in Tivoli His
difficulty
View of the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina in the Campo Vaccino
difficulty
Interior view of the Basilica of St. John Lateran
difficulty
View of the two Churches the one called the Madonna of Loreto, the other the name of Mary at the Trajan column
difficulty
Remains of the Temple of Apollo said in Hadrian`s Villa near Tivoli
difficulty
Bust of old man
difficulty
View of some columns of the facade opposite to that of the preceding table
difficulty
Remains of columns making up the side porches of the Temple in the cell above
difficulty
Two capitals and a column base, remnants of ancient buildings in the town of Cora
difficulty
Remains of a covered porch, or cryptoporticus, in a villa of Domitian five miles distant from Rome on the Via Frascati
difficulty
Pyramid of Caius Cestius
difficulty
Ancient mausoleum erected to the ashes of a Roman Emperor
1750
difficulty
Prospect of a royal courtyard with a loggia in the middle
difficulty
The Roman antiquities, t. 1, Plate XXXIII. Ruins of the temple of Castor and Pollux.
1756
difficulty
View of the Arch of Constantine
difficulty