Dimensions: 28 7/16 x 18 15/16 in. (72.23 x 48.1 cm) (plate)30 1/4 x 21 3/8 in. (76.84 x 54.29 cm) (sheet)
Copyright: Public Domain
This is Giovanni Battista Piranesi's etching, "The Tomb." The structure of the artwork presents a towering edifice, dominating the scene with its sheer size and intricate detail. Piranesi masterfully employs line and shadow to evoke a sense of the sublime, an aesthetic quality that mixes awe and terror. The architecture is imposing, but it's also crumbling, which hints at the passage of time and the impermanence of human achievement. The textures, achieved through precise etching, add depth and complexity. Piranesi was influenced by classical antiquity but also interested in how ruins could provoke a feeling of melancholy. The figures at the base of the tomb are dwarfed by the architecture, highlighting the power of the past and the weight of history. Piranesi's artistic project goes beyond mere representation, as he uses form to challenge our perception of space, time, and mortality.
Comments
minneapolisinstituteofart over 1 year ago
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This distinctive tomb is nicknamed La Conocchia, or spindle, whose shape it recalls. A spindle is a simple tool used to spin raw fiber into yarn (see below). It sits along the Appian Way, well south of Rome, almost to Naples. It is believed to have been built in the 100s CE, possibly for the only daughter of Emperor Vespasian. Here, as elsewhere, Piranesi populates his images with picturesque figures whose interest in antiquity seems limited to its ability to provide a place to lean or a spot of shade amid the intense Italian daylight. The artist uses the figures to give a sense of the monument’s scale and a sense of the enormity of ancient ambition compared to that of his own time.
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