View of the waterfalls at Tivoli 

Editor: So, here we have Piranesi's "View of the Waterfalls at Tivoli", created using etching on paper. The dramatic contrast between light and shadow really grabs you. How would you interpret this work, particularly its use of materials? Curator: I see Piranesi's print as less about the natural beauty, and more about the *making* of an experience. Etching, as a reproducible medium, allowed these manufactured scenes to circulate, turning even the sublime into a commodity for the burgeoning tourist industry. The raw materials—metal plates, acid, paper—became instruments in shaping a perception of landscape tailored for consumption. Editor: That’s fascinating, so it’s less about the scene itself, and more about its role in culture at the time? Do you think his technique, the strong contrasts, were just aesthetic choices? Curator: Think about the labor involved. Each line, each shadow meticulously etched, becomes evidence of production. The stark contrasts heighten the drama, not necessarily for aesthetic pleasure alone, but to create a bolder, more sellable image. It speaks volumes about how nature itself was being packaged and sold to those seeking an "authentic" experience, a trend accelerating due to industrial advances. Consider the Roman aqueducts nearby, their presence influencing the water flow and its commodification. Editor: That makes perfect sense. It's interesting to consider how the reproduction method influences our understanding. I guess I hadn’t thought about that. Curator: Exactly. This etching serves as a document of changing social priorities and capitalist exploitation, revealing much about eighteenth-century consumerism through the lens of its production and its impact on both society and our relationship with natural world. Editor: Well, this definitely offers a new way of looking at landscape art. Curator: Precisely. By understanding its materiality and mode of production, we uncover layers of meaning previously concealed beneath the idyllic surface.