Summary: A View Of Eighteen Or So Side Columns

Chat Sumlin
A View of Eighteen or So Side Columns

“A View of Eighteen Side Columns” by Giovanni Battista Piranesi a beautiful piece of art designed to be printed and bought by patrons. Its visual depiction of what can initially be associated with Roman architecture after the fall of its empire is what initially captivates the viewer into looking deeper. The painting communicates using the placement of seemingly foreign figures amongst ruins to signify the survival of life and human civilizations even after the destruction and fall of a great empire such as Rome. The author uses the placement of the figures and architecture to draw the viewer 's eyes from the wreckage to the figures, drawing your attention from the top left corner in a diagonal fashion across the scene. As the viewer, artist Giovanni designs his canvas in such a way that the viewer can feel as if they are spectating his scene through a window as if the viewer were actually there. Storytelling is a common attribute that artists strive to achieve through their work, it is fairly safe to assume this attribute is present when viewing this painting by Giovanni due to the fact that there is a lengthy caption at the bottom of his work. Even though the caption is …show more content…
The architecture present is reminiscent of Roman architecture and the figures in the composition are what appears to represent western cowboys even though such people were not present yet. It is interesting to compare an empire that stood for many centuries to human figures because their difference in historical significance and lifespan. From this we can conclude that the author wants to convey the idea that even though something as significant as the Roman empire might be in ruin, life goes on and its value does not become lost to