Giovanni Battista Tiepolo

:Tiepolo redirects here. You may be looking for either son, Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, or Lorenzo Baldissera Tiepolo.

Life history

Early Life (1696-1726)

Tiepolo was born in Venice, the 6th and last child of sea-captain and marine merchant, Domenico Tiepolo, and Orsetta, who's maiden name is not known, the former of whom left him a considerable fortune. The Tiepolo family is old and distinguished of Venetian patrician families, but Tiepolo's father did not claim noble lineage (though both Tiepolo and some of his siblings gained noble godparents). He was baptised Giovanni Battista, in honour of his godfather Giovanni Battista Dorià, a Venetian nobleman, in the local church and cathedral of Venice, S Pietro di Castello. His father Domenico died a year after his birth, and Orsetta was left to bring up all children in financially difficult circumstances.

Related Topics:
Venice - Godparent - Godfather

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He was the pupil of Gregorio Lazzarini, and in the same period he made careful study of the works of Titian, Piazzeta, Ricci, and especially Paolo Veronese. At merely 19, Tiepolo executed his first commission, the Sacrifice of Isaac, (which now lies the Venice collection). However, he left Lazzarini in 1717, and was received into the Fraglia guild.

Related Topics:
Titian - Paolo Veronese - 1717

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In 1719, Tiepolo married the sister of the painters Francesco Guardi and Giovanni Antonio Guardi, Maria Cecilia Guardi, by whom he had nine children. Four daughters and three sons survived childhood, of which two of the latter (Domenico and Lorenzo) became painters and the other a priest.

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Later life (1726-50)

The Friulan town of Udine played an important role in Tiepolo's formation. From 1726 to 1730 local Patriarch Dionisio Delfino lavished his praise upon the artist. His first major fresco commission for the chapel and palace of Udine (1726-28) was a landmark, with its new pale tonalities and airy handling. Incorporating Ricci?s maniera paolesca, Tiepolo moved from the chiaroscuro typical of the Baroque, but keeping the theatrical grandeur of Rubens, Rembrandt and Durer. He was hence one of the fathers of the Rococo movement of the 18th century. Tiepolo's first masterpiece, arguably, was a cycle of enormous canvases painted to decorate a large reception room in the Ca' Dolfin, Venice (ca. 1726?29), depicting ancient battles and triumph.

Related Topics:
Udine - 1730 - 28 - Baroque - Rubens - Rembrandt - Durer - Rococo - 18th century - 1726 - 29

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With his prolific output, commissions poured in. Commissioners and private patrons demanded paintings, canvases for churches such as that of Verolanuova (1735-40),for the Scuola dei Carmini (1740-47), and the Scalzi 1743-44), ceilings for the Palazzi Archinto and Casati-Dugnani in Milan (1731), decorations of the Colleoni Chapel in Bergamo (1732-3), a ceiling for the Gesuati (S.Maria del Rosario) in Venice of St. Dominic Instituting the Rosary (1737-39), Palazzo Clerici, Milan (1740), decorations for Villa Cordellini, Montecchio Maggiore (1743-4) and for the saloon of Palazzo Labia, Venice, showing the Story of Cleopatra (1745-50).

Related Topics:
1735 - 40 - 47 - 1743 - 44 - 1731 - Bergamo - 1732 - 3 - Gesuati - 1745 - 50

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Recognition (1750-70)

By 1750 Tiepolo's reputation was firmly established throughout Europe, and accompanied by his son Giandomenico, he travelled to Würzburg at the call of Prince Bishop Karl Philipp von Greiffenklau in 1750, where he resided for three years. He executed magnificent ceiling paintings in the New Residenz palace. Among these is his painting for the grand staircase is the largest ceiling fresco in the world at 7287 square feet (677 m²), which was completed in collaboration with his sons, Giandomenico and Lorenzo.

Related Topics:
Würzburg - New Residenz

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Having completed his commissioned work in Würzburg, he was back again in Venice in 1753, where he was elected President of the Academy of Padua. In his absence, he was again inundated with commissions: theatrical frescoes for churches; the Triumph of Faith, in Venice, Chiesa della Pietà; frescos for palaces in Venice, Ca? Rezzonico; and paintings for patrician villas in the Venetian countryside, such as those in Villa Valmarana and Villa Pisani in Stra.

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However in 1761 he travelled to Spain at the invitation of Charles III to execute the ceiling decoration for the throne room of the royal palace of Madrid, the subject of which, the Apotheosis of Spain. During his residence there he incurred the jealousy and the bitter opposition of Raphael Mengs.

Related Topics:
1761 - Charles III - Madrid

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Tiepolo died in Madrid on March 27, 1770. The slow rise of Neoclassicism had led to the slow decline of the career of Tiepolo, but had failed to dent his impact on artistic progress. By 1772 Tiepolo was sufficiently famous to be documented as painter to Doge Giovanni Cornaro, in charge of the decoration of Palazzo Mocenigo a San Polo.

Related Topics:
Neoclassicism - 1772

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