Another view of the same 1778

This is Giovanni Battista Piranesi’s print, “Another view of the same,” made with etching and engraving. The formidable monument fills the frame, rising from the lower edge to loom above us. The structure is defined by a hierarchy of forms, each level intricately ornamented, culminating in an elaborate cornucopia. Piranesi uses contrasting textures and tonalities. Linear precision defines fluted columns, while deeper blacks evoke the carved reliefs and shadows, lending the image depth. The monument is framed by winged sphinxes, which disrupts a singular reading. The composition is more than an illustration; it destabilizes the values it seems to represent. Is this a celebration or a critique of grandeur? Piranesi does not offer us a singular, stable meaning. Instead, through the orchestration of form and texture, he provokes us to question the very nature of representation and the narratives that monuments seek to uphold.