Giambattista Tiepolo
(Giambattista or Giovanni Battista Tiepolo; Venice, 1696-Madrid, 1770) Italian painter.He studied the works of Sebastiano Ricci, Veronese and Giovanni Battista Piazzetta, and imitated the chromaticism, with its violent chiaroscuro effects, of the latter.In his early ceiling paintings (Archinti and Dugnani palaces in Milan) he reaffirmed his decorative talent, based on architectural perspectives, trompe-l'oeil paintings and moving crowds.
His first important work, the decorative cycle of the archiepiscopal palace of Udine (1727-1728), composed of biblical narratives, already denotes in the conformation of the figures (of great naturalism) and in the composition of the same contributions from the artist himself, although certain influences from Sebastiano Ricci and Veronese are still detected.
Feast of Antony and Cleopatra (c.1743), by Tiepolo
In Milan he worked in the Clerici Palace; in Venice he did it in the Scalzi church and in the Labia palace.The decoration of the latter, in which he depicted various episodes in the history of Marco Antonio and Cleopatra, constitutes a masterpiece of fantasy and baroque audacity ( Feast of Antony and Cleopatra and Embarque de Cleopatra ).Internationally recognized, he was called to Würzburg to decorate the residence of the prince bishop with scenes from the Life of Frederick Barbarossa (1751-1753).Back in Venice he decorated the living room of the Villa Contarini with The Reception of Henry III (1755-1756).
In 1757 he undertook, together with his son Giandomenico, the decoration of Villa Valmarana (Vicenza), for which he adopted the mundane and courtly theme of Germanic art, creating, through the use of blue, purple, yellow and gray tones, a universe of sensuality and beauty that constitutes his contribution to the painting of the century XVIII.
Detail of La Purísima Concepción (c.1768)
In 1762 he was called to Madrid to decorate the Royal Palace , in which he painted several splendid canvases ( The glory of Spain , Apotheosis of the Spanish Monarchy and Triumph of Aeneas ).For the church of San Pascual de Aranjuez he made seven large canvases ( La Purísima Concepción , Angel Bearer of the Eucharist , San Pascual Bailón , Saint Francis of Assisi receiving the stigmata , etc.).
Although the great cycles of frescoes constitute the central part of Tiepolo's work, his intense activity includes, in addition to numerous paintings with a religious and secular theme, beautiful portraits and isolated figures, sketches and drawings of astonishing vivacity , as well as the etchings of the Caprichos , conceived around 1740 and published later by Zanetti, and those of the Chanzas .
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