The Roman antiquities, t. 4, Plate XXXI. Section one of the wedges of the Theatre of Marcellus. 

Editor: This is Plate XXXI from Giovanni Battista Piranesi's "The Roman Antiquities," showing a section of the Theatre of Marcellus. It’s an etching, and it almost feels like an architectural blueprint. There’s a strange starkness to it despite the subject matter. What jumps out at you? Curator: It's interesting you call it stark. Piranesi's project wasn't just about documenting Roman ruins; it was deeply enmeshed in the politics of his time. Consider the Neoclassical movement – a revival of classical forms. What socio-political conditions might have made Rome so appealing again in the 18th century? Editor: I guess people were interested in a new, seemingly more rational way to run society? Maybe Rome represented an ideal. Curator: Precisely. Rome signified order, law, and a glorious past. Now, look at the intense detail Piranesi uses. How does the precise linework affect the viewer’s perception of Roman power? Does it solidify this ideal or perhaps question it? Editor: Well, the level of detail gives the ruins an air of authority. But there is decay, you know, ruins falling apart. It’s as if Rome did fall apart, but that also gives modern Europe a historical project to ground a new European identity upon. Curator: Good observation. What's absent is as important as what is present. Does he depict daily life happening there? Where are the people? Editor: You're right. There are no people, which adds to that stark feeling I had originally. The print is more of an idealized diagram or vision, perhaps, than documentation of a ruin. I had not seen this print as more than just an informational project at first glance. Thanks, now I will spend a lot of time thinking about this.