G. B. Piranesi and the Brutalism of The Brutalist

Abstract

I discuss here the thoughts and theories connecting G. B. Piranesi, the Venetian eighteenth century inventor of impossible architectural forms like his famous Carceri, the rough style in architecture, initiated in the middle of the twentieth century in England, called brutalism, and the theme of the 2024 film entitled The Brutalist, centred on dramatic architectural ideas. There is a striking similarity between the rationalistic architectural theories of the enlightened eighteenth century and those of modern brutalism. Finally, it is interesting to explore and assess Piranesi’s position in this matter.