{"product_id":"piranesi-the-complete-etchings-9783836587617","title":"Piranesi. the Complete Etchings","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe most famous 18th-century copper engraver, \u003cstrong\u003eGiovanni Battista Piranesi \u003c\/strong\u003e(1720-1778) made his name with etchings of ancient Rome. His \u003cstrong\u003estartling, chiaroscuro images\u003c\/strong\u003e imbued the city's \u003cstrong\u003earchaeological ruins with drama and romance\u003c\/strong\u003e and became favorite souvenirs for the Grand Tourists who traveled Italy in pursuit of classical culture and education.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Today, Piranesi is renowned not just \u003cstrong\u003efor shaping the European imagination of Rome\u003c\/strong\u003e, but also for his elaborate series of fanciful prisons, \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eCarceri\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e, which have influenced generations of creatives since, from the Surrealists to \u003cstrong\u003eSamuel Taylor Coleridge\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eEdgar Allan Poe\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eJorge Luis Borges\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003eFranz Kafka\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Loosely based on contemporary stage sets rather than the actual dingy dungeons of Piranesi's day, these intricate images defy architectural reality to play instead with perspective, lighting, and scale. Staircases exist on two planes simultaneously; vast, vaulted ceilings seem to soar up to the heavens; interior and exterior distinctions collapse. With a low viewpoint and small, fragile figures, the prison scenes become \u003cstrong\u003emonstrous megacities of incarceration\u003c\/strong\u003e, celebrated to this day as\u003cstrong\u003e masterworks of existentialist drama\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFicacci, Luigi:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Luigi Ficacci studied art history in Rome under Giulio Carlo Argan. For many years, he was curator at the Istituto Nazionale per la Grafica in Rome and lectured at various Italian universities. From 2007 to 2015, he was Bologna's general museum director (Soprintendente ai Beni Culturali); today he is general museum director in Lucca. The focal points of his research work are the issues raised by 17th and 18th century and contemporary Italian and European art.","brand":"Taschen","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50718747525394,"sku":"9783836587617","price":71.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_940e1fc1-62d8-4b73-99d6-3274c876442d.jpg?v=1734649082","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/piranesi-the-complete-etchings-9783836587617","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}