Italian painter, architect, and sculptor famous for his etching and carving of modern Roman and ancient ruins. Giovanni Battista Piranesi was born in Venice, the son of a stonemason who has studied architecture in Venice and Rome before turning to sculpture. He settled in Rome around 1740. The Intense contrasts of light, shadow and space, as well as an accurate depiction of detail, are characteristic of his works. He has influenced artists of future generations, including the Surrealists.