1776
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Views of Rome: The Tomb, called La Connocchia is a 1776 by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This print shows a crumbling, ancient-looking temple half-buried in rocks. Vines climb its broken walls, and the top is overgrown with weeds. Below, a few small figures walk near the ruins, while one person sits on the ground, lost in thought. The sky is dark and stormy, making the scene feel lonely and wild. The temple’s ruins look like they’ve been forgotten for centuries. The artist used shading to make the cracks and shadows stand out, giving the stone a rough, uneven texture. Next, look up chiaroscuro to see how this dramatic lighting works.
Giovanni Battista (or Giambattista) Piranesi (Italian pronunciation: ; also known as simply Piranesi; 4 October 1720 – 9 November 1778) was an Italian classical archaeologist, architect, and artist, famous for his…
See the richer artist pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
