The Fall of Troy and the Escape of Aeneas - Giorgio Ghisi

The Fall of Troy and the Escape of Aeneas - Giorgio Ghisi
The Amanda S. Johnson and Marion J. Livingston Fund
Drawings European Art Prints
"The Fall of Troy and the Escape of Aeneas" by Giorgio Ghisi (1540/50) Engraving in black on ivory laid paper.

Commentary

Commentary

"The Fall of Troy and the Escape of Aeneas" by Giorgio Ghisi (1540/50) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. The print-based method rewards close viewing, where line, texture, and contrast do most of the express ive work. Themes to notice include engraving. This piece is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection. Giorgio Ghisi is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: Giorgio Ghisi (Italian, 1520-1582) after Giovanni Battista Scultori (Italian, 1503-1575). The work is cataloged within a Italy cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as engraving, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Engraving in black on ivory laid paper) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Image/plate: 38.3 × 49.6 cm (15 1/8 × 19 9/16 in.); Sheet: 38.8 × 50 cm (15 5/16 × 19 11/16 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include engraving. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/221702
Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data