Remains of columns making up the side porches of the Temple in the cell above 

Curator: The work before us, "Remains of columns making up the side porches of the Temple in the cell above", is an etching by Giovanni Battista Piranesi. Editor: Whoa. There's such a strange mix of grandeur and melancholy in this image. Makes you feel tiny but also a bit like you’re trespassing through time. Curator: Absolutely. Piranesi's technical virtuosity is evident in his use of perspective, dramatically rendering these colossal ruins. The play of light and shadow isn't just aesthetic; it evokes the past glory of the Roman Empire, doesn't it? Editor: Right? But more than that, it shows how fleeting power can be. The overgrowth gives you this sense that nature always wins in the end. There are those figures down there... they seem almost incidental in this massive architectural skeleton. Curator: They do serve a purpose, though. Notice how they give scale to the immensity of the columns? And they invite you in as a viewer. It's classic Piranesi. He often used human figures to make the ancient world feel relatable and alive, even within the ruins. Editor: True, but to me they’re ghosts within a ghost of something immense and important that used to be. Like finding a sad clown convention in an abandoned football stadium, if that makes any sense. Curator: (Laughs) I like that analogy! But you’re right, Piranesi isn’t just about documenting ruins. His skill is conveying the feeling of time’s relentless march forward and it's erasure of humanity. Editor: Makes you think about what will be left behind from our time. The data centers, maybe? Curator: Or those odd statues people keep erecting everywhere... Anyway, in a way, Piranesi turned architecture into theatre. The very fabric and substance of his works provoke reflections about what comes and goes from all eras and every culture on Earth. Editor: Well said. I definitely won't forget the haunting vibe that Piranesi captures so perfectly.