Giovanni Tiepolo - Great Venetian Fresco Painter & Printmaker

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, or Giovanni Tiepolo, better known as Gianbattista or Giambattista Tiepolo, was born on March 5, 1696 in Venice, Italy. Giovanni was a 'Rococo' & 'Baroque' style painter & printmaker, known for his unconventional style of representing ancient historical myths, sacred legends, and the scriptures, through the massive pieces of art. The artist celebrated his artistic desire and fantasy in these magnificent designs. Active in Veneto, Germany, and Spain, he was primarily known for his 'Grand Manner' frescos, while attaining considerable appreciation as a drafter and an etcher too.

Last of the six children, Giovanni was born to Domenico Tiepolo, a sea captain, and his wife, Orsetta. Tiepolos faced many difficulties after the untimely demise of Domenico, within a year of the painter's birth. Young Giovanni had his early learning around 1710, under a mediocre painter, Gregorio Lazzarin, who was quite elaborate in his style. By the age of 19, Tiepolo had developed his own uniquely distinctive style. In 1717, he left Lazzarini's studio and got entry into the 'Fraglia (Guild of Painters).' In 1719, Tiepolo was married to Maria Cecilia Guardi, sister of two of his fellow painters, and was blessed with nine children, out of which only seven could survive.

The artist earned wide acclaim throughout Europe and was appointed to do paintings and frescos for various churches throughout Venice. Giovanni's works had subdued color, and were bright & shadow less, reflecting sunny illumination. His debut in Venice was in the form of huge canvases such as in "The Sacrifice of Isaac (1726-29)," designed for the Grand Canal of Venice. Tiepolo's "frescos of the story of Cleopatra (1746)" in the ballroom of Palazzo Labia (Labia Palace), shot him to international fame. During 1751-53, he was entrusted with the task of decorating the Residenz (palace of the Archbishop), Wurzburg with "frescoes depicting the life of Emperor Frederick I," and altarpieces adorned with the "Ascension of the Virgin," & "Fall of the Angels."

In 1753, Tiepolo returned to Venice and was elected the President of the Academy of Padua. He designed frescos for churches, like "The Triumph of Faith" for the Chiesa della Pietà and the panel designs on "Allegory of Merit Accompanied by Nobility and Virtue (1757-8)" for Museo del Settecento Veneziano, Ca' Rezzonico, Venice. Giovanni traveled extensively to Bergamo, Milan, and Veneto. In 1761, at the invitation of Charles III, he left for Madrid, Spain, to create frescos on the walls of the Palacio Real (Royal Palace). During 1762-66, the artist worked on this project with his notable creations being "Glory of Spain" for the Throne Room, and "The Apotheosis of the Spanish Monarchy" for the Queen's Antechamber.

Giovanni spent the last years of his life in Madrid until his death on March 27, 1770. Many of his works came under scanner posthumously, and were rated as artificial and superficial. Such criticism was mainly attributed to the rise of 'Neo-Classicalism' with the decline of 'Royal Authoritarianism,' and therefore, could not mar his reputation. The spate of exhibitions at his 300th birth anniversary reaffirmed his position as one of the greatest Venetian painters of all times.