The Springfield Museums present Fantastic Ruins: Etchings by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, April 16 through July 17 at the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts. This exhibit of prints from the Museums collection attests to the grandeur, romance, and superiority of imagination.
Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778) once said: “I need to produce great ideas, and I believe that if I were commissioned to design a new universe, I would be mad enough to undertake it.” Throughout his career, imagination and inventive ideas set Piranesi’s work apart from that of his contemporaries. Although he was trained in architecture, draftsmanship and stage design, Piranesi is best remembered for his fantastic etchings of Italian ruins.
Born and raised in Venice, Piranesi was fascinated by the ancient architecture of Rome, which he made his permanent home from 1747 until his death in 1778. Sometimes called “Rembrandt of the ruins,” Piranesi created etchings of the city and the surrounding region that employed dramatic angles and bold lighting effects to imbue crumbling structures with vitality and romance. Travelers of the time who embarked on the Grand Tour and passed though Rome often returned home with prints from Piranesi’s workshop. The artist’s breathtaking views of classical architecture contributed to Europe’s collective imagination of the Eternal City.
While inspired by actual views of Rome, Piranesi’s etchings are not precise transcriptions of what he saw. “Instead, they are aggrandized, fantastic visions of the ruins that he loved,” said Maggie North, Curator of Art at the Springfield Museums. “Piranesi was one of the most important printmakers of the 18th century and his work is so incredibly fascinating,” said North. “The opportunity to study original prints here in Springfield is a real gift.”
Drawn from the museum’s permanent collection, the Piranesi prints offer an exciting encounter with the colossal archways and elegant columns of antiquity, and an opportunity to see, up-close, the work of a master etcher.“The D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts cares for an excellent collection of American and European prints, the majority of which have been donated to the Museums by generous community members,” said Heather Haskell, Vice President of the Springfield Museums and Director of the Art Museums. “The Piranesi prints stand out among the holdings because of their size, attention to detail, and magnificent and romantic views of the Italian landscape.”
Born more than three centuries ago, this exhibit provides a special opportunity to reflect on his legacy. “Piranesi’s prints continue to offer splendid views of antiquity as seen through the artist’s 18th century lens,” North said. “They continue to inspire art, architecture, history and travel enthusiasts around the world.”
This exhibit features bilingual text in English and Spanish and is augmented by audio descriptions for visitors who are Blind or have low vision.