![]() ![]() He returned to Rome in 1747, this time to stay. These etchings consisted of rococo shapes interlaced with fragments of ancient ruins. It is from this period that Piranesi’s etchings, called grotesques, were produced. (It was Tiepolo who expanded the restrictive conventions of reproductive, topographical and antiquarian engravings). His first work in this series was Prima Parte di Architettura e Prospettive (First Part of Architecture and Perspectives, 1743), which was followed by another in 1745, Varie Vedute di Roma Antica e Moderna (Various Views of Ancient and Modern Rome).įrom 1744 to 1747, Piranesi was often in Venice where he was working in the studio of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, a leading artist in Venice. His main creative energies at this time were concentrated on developing the architectural fantasy, or capriccio, as a device for formal experiment, creative release, and a stimulus for contemporary architects, whose designs he thought had failed to measure up to the ruined grandeur around them. According to an early biography of him written by Jacques Guillaume Legrand, Vasi told Piranesi that “you are too much of a painter, my friend, to be an engraver.”Īfter his studies with Vasi, he collaborated with pupils of the French Academy in Rome to produce a series of vedute (views) of the city. Vasi found Piranesi’s talent much greater than that of a mere engraver. These were sold to tourists as enduring souvenirs of the Roman experience on their Grand Tour. Vasi taught him the art of etching and engraving Rome and its monuments. He also apprenticed himself to Giuseppe Vasi, who was the most famous producer of etched views of Rome. Trained as an architect but unable to find commissions, in 1743 Piranesi published a book of prints of his own stylized imaginary buildings of enormous scale, inspired by the architecture of imperial Rome. He lived in the Palazzo Venezia and spent his free time sketching everything he observed in the city: temples, palaces, bridges, aqueducts, and all of the fragments of Rome’s past which were, at the time, only just being uncovered and restored. In 1740 Piranesi finally was able to go to Rome, serving as an inexperienced draftsman on the staff of Marco Foscarini, who was the Venetian ambassador to the court of the new pope, Benedict XIV. All of these would be influential later in the development of his unique style. He worked on various theatrical productions and learned to perfect the art of stage design by discovering how to render light and shade with dramatic effect, drawing architecture from unique angles, and taking risks with perspective. ![]() He developed his skills by beginning his own career working with the architecture of the Venetian theatrical stage. He learned to know and love architectural classicism from the works and ideas of Palladio taught to him by Matteo. He first studied architecture while being apprenticed to his uncle, Matteo, and learned the means of masonry construction-the use of scaffolding, winches, hawsers, pulleys, and chains-all of which stayed with him for the rest of his life. Piranesi’s family expected him to be an architect from his childhood, and he was brought up in the architectural world of Venice. Although he had strong feelings for her, she soon after married the Conte d’Amalfi and left his life. She whetted his appetite to see and study them, and she encouraged him to leave Venice and family to go to Rome. She became close friends with the 17-year-old Giovanni, and talked to him about the wonderful art treasures in Rome. Giovanni’s brother, Andrea Piranesi, a Carthusian monk with an exhaustive knowledge of the classics, introduced him to Latin literature and ancient Greco-Roman civilization, both of which were to influence and fascinate him for the rest of his life.Īnother important influence on Giovanni’s early development was Francesca Corraghi, a young woman who came from Rome to live with friends in Venice after her parents died. His mother, Laura Lucchesi Piranesi, was the daughter of a sea captain, Valentino Lucchesi she was also the sister of Matteo Lucchesi, who was a leading architect in the Magistrato delle Acque (The Magistracy of Water), which was the state organization responsible for engineering the water system and restoring historical buildings in Venice. His father, Giacomo, was a stone mason and master builder. He was baptized on November 8 in the Church of San Moise in Venice. Giovanni Battista (or Giambattista) Piranesi was born in Mestre, near Venice, on October 4, 1720.
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