Landschap met bouwwerken in de Albaanse Heuvels 1762

Giovanni Battista Piranesi created this etching of a landscape with buildings in the Albanian Hills. Living in the 18th century, Piranesi was deeply influenced by the Grand Tour, a cultural phenomenon where wealthy Europeans, particularly young British men, traveled to Italy to experience its art, architecture, and history. Piranesi's works capture the emotional experience of encountering ancient Roman ruins. Here, you can see how the architecture is decaying, overgrown with vegetation, a melancholic reflection on the passage of time and the transience of human achievement. The figures amidst the ruins are dwarfed by their surroundings, which emphasizes the smallness of humanity in comparison to history. Piranesi's prints both documented and imagined these spaces, offering viewers an emotional and intellectual connection to the past. Through his dramatic compositions, Piranesi invites us to reflect on the layers of history embedded in the Italian landscape, and, perhaps, our own place within it.