PIRANESI
By Xingzhou Chen, Samuel Berry, Rachel Mataira, Sophia Falefa, Ben Hutton and Hunter Mulder

Early History
Born on 4th October, 1720 in Mestre, near Vince Italy.
Died on 9th November, 1778 in Rome.
Was a Italian draftsman, printmaker, architect and art theorist.
At the age of 20 he went to rome and worked as a draftsman for the Venetian ambassador. He studied under the leading print makers of the time and during this time developed his orignal etching technique.
Piranesi was influenced by his uncle who was employed by the Venetian water works. And his brother who was a monk got piranesi interested in architecture.
He was the apprentice of Giuseppe Vasi the foremost producer of etchings depicting Rome
Piranesi was educated by his father a master builder and stone mason who gave him a indepth background in building before moving to Rome.
Thompson, W. "Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720–1778) ". (October 2003). In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/pira/hd_pira.htm
References
“Giovanni Battista Piranesi”. Retrieved from http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artMakerDetails?maker=815
Giovanni Battista Piranesi. (2013). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/461526/Giovanni-Battista-Piranesi

 
This brother was an extreme influence which is extremely interesting as it was an extrinsic motivation which initiated his enthusiasm
2000 plates
First set of 14 plates in 1740’s
He has the ability to make buildings seem bigger than they actually were and added his own imagination into them to create brilliant works of art.

Was not a well regarded architect, however his imaginary views had a large impact on other designers and painters
Started his study in Rome and settled there permanently. In this time he developed his traits, which made him the prominent artist that he was.

Who influenced Giovanni Battista Piranesi?
Andrea, his brother, introduced the Latin and the ancient civilization to him when he was young. His brother is the first person who teach Piranesi knowledge when he was a child.
Matteo Lucchesi (1705-1776), his uncle, was an architect and a Venetian engineer who specialized in excavation, gave Piranesi a grasp of the means of masonry construction- scaffolding, winches, hawsers, pulleys and chains – that stayed with him the rest of his life. Matteo Lucchesi was the abecedarian for Piranesi. He was plays an important role to influence Piranesi’s art creation.
Giuseppe Vasi (27 August1710 – 16 April 1782), was an Italian engraver and architect, best known for his vedute, who introduced Piranesi to the art of etching and engraving. Vasi was famous for his vedute genre, the same as Piranesi. He plays a most important role for Piranesi’s art creation, especially in the etching and Vesute genre areas.
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (March 5, 1696 – March 27, 1770), was an Italian painter and printmaker from the Republic of Venice. He was prolific, and worked not only in Italy, but also in Germany and Spain. From 1743 to 1747, Giovanni Battista Piranesi sojourned mainly in Venice and frequented him according to some sources. He gave Piranesi a lot of inspiration in his art creation and also influenced him.

References
Piranesi, Giovanni Battista. & Ficacci, Luigi. (2000) Giovanni Battista Piranesi: the complete etchings. London, Koln: Taschen.

Piranesi.G.B. (1748-78) View of the Temple of the Sibyl in Tivoli, [Etching.] London. Retrieved from Victoria and Albert Museum online database. http://www.oxfordartonline.com.helicon.vuw.ac.nz/subscriber/article/img/grove/art/F016049?q=giovanni+piranesi+&search=quick&type=image&pos=1&_start=1#firsthit

Piranesi.G.B (1776) Veduta dell’Anfiteatro Flavio detto il Colosseo (View of the Flavian Amphitheater known as the Colosseum), [Etching.] New York. Retrieved from http://www.oxfordartonline.com.helicon.vuw.ac.nz/subscriber/article/img/grove/art/F021675?q=giovanni+Piranesi&search=quick&type=image&pos=2&_start=1#firsthit

Piranesi, G. B (1770). Veduta Interna Della Basillica di S. Giovanni Laterano [etching]. Royal College of Art. Retrieved from VADS Image database www.vads.ac.uk.

Piranesi, G. B (1745). Carceri Series Plate XIV [etching]. Retrieved from http://fosterartprogramblog.org/2012/10

Piranesi, G. B (1760 – 1770). The smoking fire plate VI from the Carceri d'Invenzioni (Imaginary prisons) series [ etching] Rome. Retrieved from National Gallery of Victoria http://www.ngc.vic.gov.au//

Modern Influence
“His influence, then, is subtler than a mere taking up of the past; it lies in the spirit
in which that heritage was taken up,” (Kirk, 2006).

Brown (2007) believes the compositional characteristics of 20th-century modernism were a direct result of Piranesi’s hallmarks; dramatic transitions of scale, illogical spatial relations and image compression.

A number of distinguished modern architects have spoken of Piranesi’s impact on their work. Piranesi’s experimentation with the malleability of form, use of multiple sources in a single composition and simply demonstrating a free license of creativity to unveil unlimited possibilities “is seen as the natural legacy inherited by these contemporaries.” (Brown, 2007).

Non-specifically, Piranesi’s work, described as “macabre ecstasy” (Jones, 2002), has inspired such modern works as London’s Underground Jubilee Line, the film Blade Runner, Tate Modern and probably most familiarly the moving staircases in Hogwarts, according to Jones.

References
Kirk, T. (2006). Piranesi’s Poetic License: His Influence on Modern Italian Architecture. http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/4238475?uid=3738776&uid=369171391&uid=2134&uid=2&uid=70&uid=3&uid=60&sid=21102119940977
Brown, B. (Sep 27, 2007). The Father of Modern Design. Retrieved from The New York Sun: http:/www.nysun.com/arts/father-of-modern-design/63482/
• Jones, J. (Nov 6, 2002). No Way Out. Retrieved from The Guardian: http://www.nysun.com/arts/father-of- modern-design/63482/

Credits
Early History – Samuel Berry
Interesting Stuff – Rachel Mataira
Influences - Xingzhou Chen
Photos – Sophia Falefa
Modern Influence - Ben Hutton
Referencing – Hunter Mulder