Hi! If you're new to this newsletter here’s how it works:

Each morning I spend a few minutes searching the internet for an old painting or similar that I think looks cool (professional I know). Today it was actually a series of 16 paintings- all of impossible looking prisons

(View the full sized images here)

I then give identifying info about the work to Perplexity with the instructions to research it and tell me all the interesting things it can about said work. today it gave me this:

The Labyrinthine Nightmares: Piranesi's "Carceri d'invenzione"

Vast stone chambers stretch impossibly upward, punctuated by staircases that lead nowhere and bridges spanning abyssal drops. Tiny human figures wander through these colossal spaces, dwarfed by massive arches, beams, and machinery. Ropes, pulleys, and enormous wheels loom in the shadows as light filters through unseen sources, creating dramatic contrasts that only deepen the sense of disorientation and unease. Welcome to the haunting world of Piranesi's Imaginary Prisons.

The Architectural Fever Dreams of an Italian Master

In the mid-18th century, while most artists were creating picturesque views of Rome's sunlit ruins, Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778) was descending into darker territory. The Venetian-born architect, engineer, and artist created one of his most enduring masterpieces not from direct observation but from the depths of his imagination – the "Carceri d'invenzione," or "Imaginary Prisons."

"I need to produce great ideas," Piranesi once declared, "and I believe that if I were commissioned to design a new universe, I would be mad enough to undertake it." This ambition is perfectly captured in his prison series, where he constructed impossible architectural spaces that defy the laws of physics while maintaining an unsettling sense of plausibility.

The "Carceri" began as a series of 14 untitled, unnumbered etchings published around 1750, measuring approximately 16" x 21". These initial prints had a sketch-like quality, already showcasing Piranesi's fascination with monumental space. However, it was the second edition from 1761 that truly defined the series. Piranesi reworked all the original plates, adding greater detail, stronger tonal contrasts, and two entirely new scenes – expanding the collection to 16 numbered etchings that enhanced the sinister character of these imaginary structures.

Inside the Prisons: A Tour of the Unthinkable

Among the most striking images in the series is "The Round Tower," where massive stone archways create a vertiginous sensation of space extending in all directions. Tiny figures move about, emphasizing the immensity of the architecture. These are not realistic representations of actual prisons – real Italian dungeons of the period were cramped, tiny spaces. Instead, Piranesi drew inspiration from theatrical stage designs for prison scenes, which were popular in his day, transforming them into something far more psychologically complex.

In "The Man on the Rack," instruments of torture appear amid the architectural grandeur, while "Prisoners on a Projecting Platform" shows figures suspended in a precarious position, creating a sense of imminent danger. "The Giant Wheel" features an enormous mechanical apparatus whose purpose remains ambiguous and threatening.

What makes these etchings so powerful is Piranesi's masterful manipulation of perspective. He employs multiple vanishing points, exaggerated scales, and deliberately impossible spatial relationships that create a sense of disorientation. The low viewpoints make the architecture loom even larger, and the diminutive human figures emphasize our insignificance within these overwhelming structures.

The Artist Behind the Nightmares

What drove Piranesi to create these disturbing visions? Born in Venice, he moved to Rome at age 20, where he remained for the rest of his life, deeply influenced by the ancient architecture surrounding him. Though trained as an architect, Piranesi found more success as a printmaker, producing over a thousand etchings primarily focused on Roman subjects.

Curiously, despite being celebrated today as his most innovative work, the "Carceri" were initially "mildly appreciated and not at all understood, and consequently seldom purchased." During the creation of the first edition, Piranesi struggled to secure patronage and financial support – a fact that may have influenced the dark and frustrated energy evident in the etchings.

The Meaning in the Madness

While the first state of the "Carceri" seems primarily concerned with architectural fantasies, the revised second state introduces more explicit references to punishment and justice. Piranesi added inscriptions and details that allude to the justice system under the Roman Republic and the notorious cruelty of certain emperors.

The English writer Thomas De Quincey, in his Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (1820), described the etchings as representing "vast Gothic halls" filled with machinery "expressive of enormous power put forth, and resistance overcome." He recounts a description of one plate showing Piranesi himself climbing a staircase that "come[s] to a sudden abrupt termination, without any balustrade, and allowing no step onwards." This description captures the nightmarish quality of these spaces, where architectural elements seem designed to create mental anguish rather than physical confinement.

What makes the "Carceri" so enduring is how they operate on multiple levels. As architectural studies, they showcase Piranesi's deep understanding of classical structures while pushing them toward impossibility. As psychological spaces, they evoke the labyrinths of the human mind. And as political commentary, they can be read as reflections on systems of power and punishment in society.

A Legacy of Influence

The "Carceri" transcended their initial obscurity to become profoundly influential across art, literature, and film. They helped inspire the Romantic movement's fascination with the sublime and overwhelming, influenced Surrealist explorations of the unconscious, and even found echoes in the works of writers like Jorge Luis Borges.

Today, these etchings speak to us across centuries with undiminished power. In their vertiginous spaces and unsettling atmosphere, we find not just architectural fantasies but meditations on power, confinement, and the human condition – all rendered with a technical brilliance that continues to astonish.

The Piranesian Vision

What makes the "Carceri d'invenzione" distinct among Piranesi's vast output? These aren't simply exaggerated versions of real places – they're "capricci," whimsical architectural aggregates that combine elements of classical design with pure fantasy. The staircases lead nowhere, the bridges connect arbitrary points, and the mechanisms serve no clear purpose.

As the critic Aldous Huxley observed: "One is made to feel that the genius of great artists and the labor of innumerable slaves have gone into the construction of these monuments, every detail of which is completely without purpose."

This purposelessness is part of what gives the "Carceri" their psychological power. They're not simply depictions of punishment but evocations of a more existential dread – architectural spaces that terrify through their very design rather than through the explicit instruments of torture they sometimes contain.

As you gaze into these impossible prisons, you might find yourself, like Piranesi's tiny figures, wandering through labyrinths of your own making – a testament to the enduring power of an 18th-century artist's fever dreams rendered in ink and copper.

And that's it!

If you have any details you think Perplexity left out, reply to this email and I'll adjust my prompt to nudge it to include it next time.

This blog was part of my daily newsletter. You can subscribe to it here.

Thanks for reading!

-JP

Current prompt: I want you to create a newsletter post describing the fun and exciting stories around a painting. It should be a newsletter read for leisure and should be an enjoyable read (not just a list of facts) here's what you’re gonna do: Find the name of the following painting in its original language and any alternative names it goes by. Then Research the painting and give me blurb telling me all you can about the artist, the historical context/events it was created in, the style, the materials used, the composition and visual elements, the story/underlying message, what inspired the work/what it meant to the author, and whatever other info you find that helps give a complete understanding of the work. A description of what is depicted (mention subjects) should be the first thing included but after that you are free to present the information in a concise and captivating way. Order the presentation of information for which pieces have the most compelling and interesting story to tell. At least some of the description should be formatted like a story. [fore example: a couple sits on a bench watching the sunset while a man next to them…]. ONLY include information that is for THIS SPECIFIC PAINTING. you will find info on paintings similar to this one but NOT this one. OMMIT INFO ABOUT SUCH PIECES.

ARTWORKS SPECIFIC NEWSLETTER SPECIFICATIONS: I want you to also include some details about staples of these paintings. what characterizes them? during your newsletter, you should include 3-4 spaces where you note that I should insert an image of one of the paitings. specify which one should be added (names should be identical to how they are listed on Wikipedia). these should be added at strategic spots to better communicate the idea you are communicating. 

artworks to write newsletter about: Carceri d'invenzione, often translated as Imaginary Prisons, a series of 16 etchings by the Italian artist Giovanni Battista Piranesi