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Architecture: Piranesi and Architectural History in Rome

Vak
2010-2011

Admission requirements

BA Art History

Description

Whereas in past studies of Piranesi’s vedute of Rome the focus was often on the imaginative, romantic aspects of his work, in this seminar we will take a closer look at Piranesi as an architectural historian. We will use the large holdings of Piranesi etchings at the Print Room of the Leiden University Library to investigate how Piranesi prepared his images of the ruins of ancient Rome, how these images can be related to the ruins of Roman architecture that were accessible to him; what his position was among the many practitioners of the developing disciplines of archaeology and art history, and whether the view of Piranesi as a proto-romantic dreamer, driven by Ruinensucht or the love of ruins, is still tenable.
An excursion to Rome is part of this seminar.

Course objectives

  • Students should be able to analyze and recognize Piranesi’s techniques as an engraver

  • They should be able to analyse his strategies of visual representation of Roman ruins

  • Situate Piranesi’s activities as an engraver and architectural historian within the artistic and historiographical context of his time

  • Have some knowledge of the existing literature on Piranesi and 18th-century architectural history

  • To present a paper on Piranesi’s work in relation to the site he depicts in Rome

Time table

Timetable 2010-2011

Mode of instruction

  • Lecture course

  • Seminar

  • Excursion

Assessment method

  • Written paper

  • Presentation

Blackboard

Blackboard is being used

Literature

To be announced

Registration

A la Carte
Contractonderwijs

Exchange and Study Abroad students, please see the Study in Leiden website for information on how to apply

Contact

Prof. dr C.A. van Eck

Remarks

This course includes an excursion to Rome, which will take place during november, (The excursion will take place in the first week of november.)