Perugia, a day of studies on Piranesi at the National Gallery of Umbria

On Wednesday, Jan. 11, an important day of studies dedicated to Giovanni Battista Piranesi (Mogliano Veneto, 1720 - Rome, 1778) will be held at the National Gallery of Umbria, concluding the exhibition Piranesi in the Collections of the National Gallery of Umbria, curated by Carla Scagliosi (here is the Finestre sull’Arte review). The study day dedicated to the great Venetian architect is organized in collaboration with the “Pietro Vannucci” Academy of Fine Arts in Perugia, the University of Perugia, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Fondazione Umbra per l’Architettura (FUA).

Starting at 3.00, at the Sala dei Notari of Palazzo dei Priori, the work of the study day will begin, in which Piranesi’s relations with the historical cultural context and his role within the artistic and cultural debate of the 18th century will be investigated; the evolution of his style in relation to his arrival in Rome and the suggestions derived from the antique and the international artistic environment of theUrbe, in which the art and architecture of the great Baroque season delineated the face of the modern city; the studies and multiple interests as a perspective artist, cartographer, publisher, typographer, antiquarian and archaeologist that distinguished his production and made him an undisputed protagonist of the culture of an era; and his innovative and groundbreaking approach to architecture and art. This outlines the profile of a genius who contributed to the redefinition of the figure of the artist, forerunner of the times and anticipator of modernity. An artist capable of communicating to successive generations and remaining modern even in the contemporary, as demonstrated by the countless Piranesian suggestions that animate the world of contemporary cinema, graphics and gaming.

The day is coordinated by Claudio Minciotti, director of the Umbrian Foundation for Architecture “Galeazzo Alessi.” After institutional greetings and an introduction by Carla Scagliosi, speakers will include Giovanna Scaloni , who will talk about the relationship between Piranesi and the 16th-century architect Giovanni Montano, after which Paolo Portoghesi will probe the link between Piranesi and Borromini, and then again Franco Purini will talk about Piranesi as the inventor of architectural modernity. Views of Rome as a tool for topographical history will be the subject of a talk by Emidio De Albentiis while in conclusion Moreno Barboni will explore the theme of Piranesi’s influences on cinema. The scientific committee for the study day consists of Fabio Bianconi, Marco Filippucci, Claudio Minciotti and Carla Scagliosi.

In addition, throughout the day on Wednesday, January 11, 2023, during the museum’s usual opening hours, it will be possible to visit the exhibition, appreciate the selection of 61 restored plates of Views of Rome, and, before entering the theaters, see the animated film Piranesi, Prisons of Invention 300 Years by Grégoire Dupond with music by Teho Teardo. For all information you can visit the National Gallery of Umbria website.

Image: Giovanni Battista Piranesi, View of Piazza Navona above the ruins of the Agonal Circus (etching on copper with burin interventions, sheet 630 x 897 mm, image 407 x 554 mm; Perugia, Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria, inv. 1634r)

Perugia, a day of studies on Piranesi at the National Gallery of Umbria

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