Capriccios, fantasy scenes built from elements of the real world that extend the practice of set design in a wider context.

Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778)

 

The Carceri do not depict real prisons – rather they are imagined architectural creations. Piranesi created powerful and nightmarish scenes in which staircases lead nowhere and bridges meet walls. They have been interpreted as dreams, as disturbing allegories of human life or even as visions Piranesi experienced during the delirium of a fever.
The low viewpoint and tiny figures make the architecture appear vast and towering, evoking feelings of insignificance and awe.

Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778)

 

The bold application of colour washes, rapid chalk lines and vivid, shadowy imagery suggest fantasy and the unreal in this imagined composition.
It is thought that the tiered, circular fortress emerging in the background was inspired by the Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome. Other elements have been interpreted as having symbolic meanings: a procession of banners on the bridge indicates the triumph of war, and the smoke-filled sky highlights the destruction that war can bring.

Gaspare Galliari (1761- 1823)

The V- shaped construction developed by the Bibiena’s can be seen here in a later, neo-classical setting. Neo-classicism included admiration for the perceived morality and discipline of the Ancient Romans. The soldiers and Herculean statues give this scene a militaristic air.

Gaspare was the last of the Galliari’s, another famous family of theatre designers from Bologna. They also produced many decorative paintings for palaces, such as frescoes and ceiling panels.