The scholarly book "Giovanni Battista Piranesi" by Klaus Heinrich offers an in-depth exploration of the Italian artist and architect who lived in the 18th century. In this lecture, delivered during the winter semester of 1978/79, Piranesi is viewed as a response to the rationalism of classicism. Heinrich addresses the role of art and architecture as expressions of genre history and representations of reality and civilization. By connecting art, psychoanalysis, and philosophy, the subject of desire is brought to the forefront, while the repressed conflicts of humanity are illuminated. The book is not only a chronological examination but also a thematic reflection on the significance of Piranesi's work in the context of the Enlightenment and architectural history.