The Smoking Fire, 1749, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Italian (Rome), Italian, 1720–1778, 23 5/8 x 17 15/16 in. (60 x 45.5 cm) (sheet)21 1/16 x 15 5/8 in. (53.5 x 39.7 cm) (plate), Etching with engraving and sulfur tint, Italy, 18th century, In this view of a prison interior, Giovanni Battista Piranesi explored his imagination through architecture realized only on paper, unfettered by practical considerations. The scene revels in the sublime—the flipside of the Age of Enlightenment—in which Romantics opened themselves to the sensation of forces beyond human comprehension and control. Piranesi intended us to lose ourselves as we wander through his maze of stairways, balconies, and catwalks leading to unknown destinations. This is the scary movie of the 18th century.
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