Should a master like Giovanni B. Piranesi be introduced? This artist left us historical evidence of the greatest past, in the ruins he depicted! Otherwise we would not have been able to see the grandiose civilization of giants, on the ruins of which we now live.
Piranesi was born in the family of a simple stonecutter. Later, his father and uncle helped him in the initial stage of learning to draw.
He began to study architecture, but only thanks to his passion for archeology, we have the opportunity to enjoy his engravings depicting the ruins of bygone civilizations.
Hood. D. B. Piranesi. Building with an arched bridge.
He devoted himself entirely to the study of ancient architecture, depicting landscapes of destroyed palaces, technical structures, and decorative elements.
Wonderful works displaying the interior decoration of destroyed palaces and cathedrals, individual elements of magnificent decoration, vases, bowls, sculptural ensembles.
The same building (partially preserved) with an arched bridge as in the drawing by JB Piranesi.
Some dispute the authenticity of his architectural landscapes, believing that he invented them. But how wrong they are. All of his drawings, the master performed from life, depicting the ancient ruins of Rome, preserved until the 18th century.
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Hood. D. B. Piranesi. Vatican.
He did not need to invent the ruins, they stood in front of him at that time. Thanks to his talented drawings, many historians and researchers have been able to reveal the secrets of the construction and use of architectural masterpieces that have disappeared.
One can easily compare his landscape graphics from nature, with those architectural ensembles that have been preserved and that have not been completely destroyed to this day.
Hood. D. B. Piranesi. Temple of Jupiter the Thunderer. Interior view of the Basilica of St. Mary. Rome.
Much of what he depicted has been restored or partially preserved, for example, individual decor items and architectural decorations can be seen in European museums.
Often his drawings contained such accurate calculations and descriptions that there was no reason to doubt the reliability of these objects. We were able to find out how the previous civilization used these or those achievements.
This Italian artist, even during his lifetime, had the glory of an unsurpassed graphic artist. He left a creative legacy - more than one and a half thousand prints. His works, after his death, were acquired in large numbers by the Vatican.