Vedute di Roma 

This etching, Vedute di Roma, was made by Giovanni Battista Piranesi in 18th-century Italy. Piranesi was known for his detailed and dramatic views of Rome, and his prints were popular souvenirs for tourists visiting the city. Piranesi’s Rome is not the Rome of the present, but the Rome of the past. Look at how the artist uses strong contrasts of light and shadow to create a sense of drama and decay. The ruined buildings are overgrown with vegetation, and the figures in the foreground seem dwarfed by the scale of the architecture. What emerges is a meditation on time, power, and the relationship between past and present. To understand Piranesi's work, we can look at the tradition of the Grand Tour, the rise of antiquarianism, and the developing concept of the picturesque. By examining these sources, we can gain a deeper appreciation of the artist's vision and the cultural values that shaped his work.