“If I had been commissioned to design a new universe, I would have been mad enough to undertake it,” wrote the Italian architect and graphic artist Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720–1778). This towering and enigmatic figure forms the starting point when the National Museum now presents its first exhibition after the opening. It is a complex and interesting exhibition idea that unfolds. The exhibition “Piranesi and the modern” is not only about Piranesi as an artist and architect, but primarily about the enormous influence he exerted on the art and architecture of the twentieth century. EXAGGERATION: Piranesi exaggerated when he reproduced the ruins of Rome. It is said that when Goethe came to the city for the first time, he was disappointed. Because nothing looked exactly like the pictures. The title of the work is “The ruins of Xystus, the great hall in Caracalla’s terms”. Photo: Morten Thorkildsen / The National Museum of Exaggeration But who was Piranesi really? He came to Rome from his native Venice already at the age of twenty and was captivated by the city’s many layers of history. The multi-talented artist was already trained both as an architect and graphic designer. In Rome, he further trained in the etching technique. LOOKING BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS: Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720–1778) was a man of his time, while at the same time he was a kind of counter-current figure. Posthumous portrait made by Carlo Labruzzi. Through this medium, which he eventually mastered to perfection, he depicted Roman architecture. The prints formed the basis for postcards and posters. These shaped the image of the eternal city and the ancient heritage in the European consciousness. In ecstatic excitement over Rome’s beauty, he conveyed the city’s ruins and cultural monuments larger and more picturesque than they really were. He depicted the ruins as overgrown with exotic growths. MORE EXAGGERATION: “The remains of one of the halls of the Praetorian Guard in Hadrian’s Villa, Tivoli”. Photo: Børre Høstland / The National Museum A romantic in the Age of Enlightenment The funny thing about Piranesi is that he was to some extent a man of his time – at the same time he was a kind of counter-current figure. With his plans and records, he was undoubtedly part of the great enlightenment project. But through a dictating, almost dreamlike approach, he can also be described as a prematurely born romantic. Piranesi did not build many buildings during his lifetime. The assignments were definitely waiting. Nevertheless, he always crossed “architect” into his graphic sheets as part of his signature. And he was an architect, especially through his architectural fantasies and fabrications. It is exciting and inspiring to walk through the exhibition. Not least, it is fun to experience his undoubted masterpiece in full width: a series of 16 etchings from 1761 entitled “Imaginary prisons”. DREAM-LIKE: His imaginary prisons are undoubtedly Piranesi’s most important contribution to art history. In the exhibition, we can see how these brilliant and dreamlike architectural visions have spurred many. Photo: Minneapolis Institute of Art Here, too, we encounter a dream-like architecture with labyrinthine staircases and mighty vaults, which are structurally impossible. The prints convey a nightmarish, claustrophobic feeling. Perhaps it is an image of being locked up, deprived of one’s freedom? He is often described as an architect of the mind, because these images are seen more as the depiction of a state of mind. The curators write in the catalog that Piranesi makes architecture existential and our interior architectural. Another major work included in the exhibition is the large map he created of the Marsmarken in Rome. Here he dreams up an urban landscape, an idea of what this part of the city might once have looked like. HAS INSPIRED MANY: The imaginary map “Campo Marzio”, which so many architects have been interested in studying, is shown in the exhibition. Photo: The National Museum In this fabulous approach there was also a possible vision of the future. In any case, it is certain that architects ranging from the modernist Le Corbusier, via the postmodernist Louis Kahn to the contemporary architect Rem Kolhaas, have all taken significant inspiration from Piranesi. Worthy of the effort, Piranesi undoubtedly won some recognition in his own time. In the century that followed, however, he was completely forgotten. In the twentieth century, he was brought up again and, as the exhibition shows, played a major role in the definition of the modern. INSPIRED BY PIRANESI: Fritz Lang’s science fiction film “Metropolis” from 1927. INSPIRED BY PIRANESI: Heinrich Heidersberger, “Power plant, Volkswagen AG”, 1971, Møllersamlingen. INSPIRED BY PIRANESI: Rem Koolhaas, “Togok Towers, Seoul”, 1996 .INSPIRED BY PIRANESI: Robert Delaunay, “The Tower and the Wheel”, c. 1912-1913. I feel inspired and enriched by the exhibition “Piranesi and the Modern”. It is research-based and saturated with knowledge, and I left with the feeling of to have learned a lot – both about Piranesi himself, but above all about his powerful history of impact. It is an exhibition that shows us how a creative person can leave his mark for many centuries after his death. There is no doubt that the exhibition requires a certain depth if you want to benefit from it. But it’s really worth the effort! news reviewer Photo: Ina Wesenberg / Ina Wesenberg Title: “Piranesi and the modern” Where: National Museum, Oslo Curators: Wenche Volle and Victor Plahte Tschudi Date : 9. p September 2022 to 8 January 2023
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“Piranese and the modern” at the National Museum – Reviews and recommendations
