Grotto of Pausillipo 1768 - 1804

Curator: This artwork, dating from between 1768 and 1804, is a watercolor by Francesco Piranesi titled "Grotto of Pausillipo," housed here at the Rijksmuseum. What's your initial take? Editor: It's…eerie. Makes me think of an old myth or forgotten underworld passage, all rendered in these somber shades. The scale feels enormous but also confining, if that makes any sense. Curator: It does. Piranesi, coming from a family of artists, especially his father Giovanni Battista Piranesi, well-known for his etchings of Rome, frequently depicted architectural subjects. Here, the grotto isn’t merely a scenic vista; it's a stage. Editor: The travelers really make that point. Look at all the figures—the carriages and people bustling within the shadowy depth of the passage. There is an artificial feeling in the painting. Curator: Exactly. Consider the historical context—this piece reflects a fascination within Neoclassicism with antiquity, not as an idyllic past, but as a material reality. These spaces and structures held tremendous economic, social, and even political implications. Think of the labor invested. Editor: Which is fascinating, the blend of something seemingly grand and romantic with that undercurrent of work. What would it have been like to be a tourist in this painted tunnel of shadow? The painting feels a little theatrical, I wonder if it reflects some of those tourist's expectations? Curator: Very possibly. Watercolor lends itself to swiftness, and this work perhaps captures something of that era's burgeoning tourist trade, alongside the sheer engineering involved in such a space. And indeed the consumption of landscapes like this one as cultural currency. Editor: It’s true, thinking about the swiftness of the watercolor medium itself is also apt to that consumption. Ultimately it is, the creation of an atmosphere, this heavy, yet active place. I almost want to imagine I am in it. Curator: The combination of those two elements—grand designs and practical outcomes—is quite Piranesi.