Plan of a spacious and magnificent College designed after the ancient gymnasia of the Greeks and the baths of the Romans ... 1748 - 1751

Curator: This is a work by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, dating from 1748 to 1751. It's entitled "Plan of a spacious and magnificent College designed after the ancient gymnasia of the Greeks and the baths of the Romans..." Currently, it resides in the collection of the SMK, Statens Museum for Kunst. It employs techniques of etching, engraving, and printmaking. Editor: Immediately striking. An incredibly detailed floor plan, almost dizzying in its complexity. There is something both imposing and very organized about the radiating pattern. It fills the picture plane entirely. Curator: Precisely. Piranesi was fascinated with Roman antiquity. This print offers a reimagining of classical architecture within a college setting. The composition, as you pointed out, uses radial symmetry, referencing ancient bathhouses and gymnasia, emphasizing balance and harmony, hallmarks of classical design. But he isn't simply replicating; there is also a baroque sensibility with flourishes of ornamentation. Editor: You can definitely sense the scale he is intending, can’t you? Look at how he carefully depicts various zones within the space: areas for physical training, spaces for intellectual pursuit, and dedicated bathing areas. It provides insight into 18th-century notions of education and leisure, emphasizing the body and the mind in unison. Curator: He's suggesting something beyond pure function. The way he renders details—the linework, the faded tones of the print—adds another dimension. They’re suggestive and not precisely descriptive. Piranesi manipulates line and tone to almost overwhelm the viewer. In terms of the public role, remember prints like these circulated widely, fostering neoclassicism. Editor: Yes, one imagines these images contributing to a renewed interest in classical ideals and sparking discussion among architects and scholars about the forms and functions of these designs, their underlying geometries. What really endures about Piranesi is how a somewhat detached architectural sketch could embody something akin to a fantasy or desire of cultural restoration. Curator: Exactly. Beyond a mere technical drawing, the artistry of Piranesi’s print captures the cultural aspirations of its time, all while prompting consideration on what a grand space for learning truly might mean. Editor: Well said; the dialogue between idealized antiquity and contemporary ambition truly resonates, centuries on.