ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
What is humanity's fascination with terror?
How do artists terrify us?
Francisco de Goya, The Black Paintings
Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus
Above, one of the key elements of the exhibition Le Arti di Piranesi: architetto, incisore, antiquario, vedutista, designer (The Art of Piranesi: architect, engraver, antiquarian, vedutista, designer), a 12 minute animation of Piranesi's Carceri series made by Gregoire Dupond at Factum Arte specifically for the exhibition. This series of 16 visionary images, originally etched by Piranesi when in his late 20's, shows the workings of his imagination, merging his architectural ambitions with his obsessive interest in antiquity. Watching Gregoire Dupond's animation is literally like entering Piranesi's mind.