Veduta interna dell'Atrio del Portico di Ottavia (Internal View of the Atrium of the Portico of Octavia), in: 'Vedute di Roma' (Views of Rome)
Original title: Veduta interna dell'Atrio del Portico di Ottavia (Internal View of the Atrium of the Portico of Octavia), in: 'Vedute di Roma' (Views of Rome)
kurzbeschreibung
Giovanni Battista Piranesi made this etching in 1760, showing the interior of the Portico of Octavia in Rome. The print belongs to his series 'Vedute di Roma' and was produced by means of etching.
Description
Two massive arches frame the view into an inner courtyard. On the left a wall rises, with partly ruined columns leaning against it, while a further arch closes off the space at the rear right. Buildings and tiny figures establish the scale in the back part of the sheet. Contrasts of light and shadow give the monochrome view depth and bring out the articulation of the architecture.
Context
The veduta was made in the mid-eighteenth century, when archaeological and antiquarian studies were pursued in Rome with great intensity. Piranesi recorded ancient buildings in order to hand down both their grandeur and their decay. The 'Vedute di Roma' series was aimed at the European art market and durably shaped how Roman antiquity was perceived.
Impact
Before these ruins a sublime yet wistful mood arises. The precise perspective and the monumental design of the subject open up an impressive spatial pull into depth.
Technique
For this sheet an etching plate was bitten with acid after the lines had been incised into it; it was printed on paper. Fine hatching and the oppositions of light and shadow define Piranesi's working method.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)