Temple of Jupiter the Thunderer and the Temple of Concord 

Giovanni Battista Piranesi created this etching, titled "Temple of Jupiter the Thunderer and the Temple of Concord". Piranesi was an Italian artist, architect, and antiquarian, who was deeply influenced by the grandeur and history of Rome. In this print, we see the Colosseum not merely as a relic of the past but as a powerful symbol of human endeavor and decay. Piranesi’s Rome is a complex site where the glory of antiquity is juxtaposed with the realities of 18th-century life, hinting at themes of power, memory, and the passage of time. His approach reflects a broader 18th-century fascination with ruins. Piranesi's focus was not on faithful architectural rendering, but more on the emotional and atmospheric impact of these structures. The artist was making a statement about the relationship between past and present, and how the weight of history shapes our perception of the world around us.