Vedute di Roma 

This engraving titled "Vedute di Roma" was created by Giovanni Battista Piranesi. The stark contrast of black ink on white paper immediately draws your eye to the decaying structures dominating the scene. Piranesi masterfully uses line and shadow to convey the texture of crumbling stone, the sharp edges softened by time and decay. The composition is divided, juxtaposing a ruined, rectangular building on the left with a cylindrical structure to the right. This contrast in form destabilizes any sense of classical harmony. The figures in the foreground, dwarfed by the architecture, emphasize the grandeur and scale of the ruins. Piranesi’s work reflects a fascination with the sublime, an aesthetic category that emphasizes awe and terror. By focusing on ruins, he challenges the Enlightenment’s faith in reason and progress, suggesting that even the most powerful empires crumble. This engraving asks us to consider the transient nature of human achievement.