ePub Community Performance: An Introduction by Petra Kuppers in Arts-Photography

Review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A one-of-a-kind artistic nightmare from the eighteenth centuryBy R. M. PetersonI was vaguely aware of Piranesi and his etchings of Roman ruins and imaginary prisons; but it was only upon recently reading Marguerite Yourcenars essay; "The Dark Brain of Piranesi"; that I felt the compulsion to closely study "The Prisons"; or; in Piranesis Italian; "Le Carceri". This Dover edition is an ideal vehicle for doing so.Piranesi made two editions of his prison etchings. The first; released about 1745; contained fourteen prints. For the second; in 1761; Piranesi reworked those fourteen etchings and added two entirely new ones. The reworked etchings are much darker and more detailed; making for a darker nightmare altogether. For the fourteen prints of which there are two states; this Dover edition presents them side by side; so that the viewer can easily study the revisions that Piranesi made. The two new plates from the second edition are also included. The original etchings were approximately 16 by 21 inches. Here; they are printed at 60 per cent of their original size. The prints used for this Dover book were mint condition prints from the National Gallery of Art; with the result that the Dover book is excellent (I cant speak to the Kindle version) and at $16.95 it is a true value in the world of fine art books.Piranesis prison etchings depict the interior of a vast edifice; which seems to expand out to the deep visual recesses of each plate somewhat like the expanding universe. Never is there a window or door to the outside. The structures are many-tiered; with massive vaults and columns; grand staircases and narrow winding stairways; and many bridges cutting across the immense interior space. As depicted; the prisons are physical impossibilities from the standpoint of the rules of perspective as well as the laws of physics. In the second edition plates; there are wheels; pulleys; cranes; winches; and capstans; all imparting a brooding sense of torture. Small; indistinct humanoid figures are scattered throughout the prisons.The overall impression I have is of humankind imprisoned by its own creations and technologies. Marguerite Yourcenar says that "Le Carceri"; along with Goyas "Black Paintings"; "are one of the most secret works bequeathed to us by a man of the eighteenth century." Further; "the Prisons may well be one of the first and most mysterious symptoms of that obsession with torture and incarceration which increasingly possesses mens minds during the last decades of the eighteenth century" . . . an anticipation; perhaps; "of Sade and the excesses of the Revolution."For me; it was bewitching to spend half an hour perusing THE PRISONS / LE CARCERI. But it was a one-off exercise; something like my experience with the drawings of M. C. Escher. I doubt that I will ever return to the book. In that sense; for me "Le Carceri" takes a back seat to Goyas "Black Paintings".0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Beautiful large format reproductionsBy VerreThese are gorgeous; detailed reproductions of the prints that are printed large enough to allow you to enjoy all the subtle details. Moreover; theyve provided each print in its first and second states; giving real insight into the creative process behind this series. There isnt much text in this book; just a preface and a short introduction. If you want to read scholarship on Piranesi there are probably more informative sources; this book is all about the magnificent images.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Wildly happy with the bookBy toscanoWildly happy with the book.The etchings are marvelously and suggestively macabre yet enthralling. These are true art forms directly from the end of the eighteenth century.