Ruins of the Xystus [a long open portico used for athletic exercises], the central hall of the Antonine Baths [The Baths of Caracalla], from Views of Rome - Giovanni Battista Piranesi

The Charles Deering Collection

Commentary

"Ruins of the Xystus [a long open portico used for athletic exercises], the central hall of the Antonine Baths [The Baths of Caracalla], from Views of Rome" by Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1765) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. Th e print-based method rewards close viewing, where line, texture, and contrast do most of the expressive work. Themes to notice include etching. This piece is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection. Giovanni Battista Piranesi is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: Giovanni Battista Piranesi Italian, 1720-1778. The work is cataloged within a Italy cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as etching, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Etching on heavy ivory laid paper) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Image: 42.5 × 65 cm (16 3/4 × 25 5/8 in.); Plate: 43 × 65.6 cm (16 15/16 × 25 7/8 in.); Sheet: 48.1 × 69 cm (18 15/16 × 27 3/16 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include etching. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/59980

Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data