Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo

Mr. St Horn, Baltimore (d'après une inscription au dos)

The catalogue illustration is faithful to the drawing. There is a 1cm loss on the right side along the edge of the drawing, close to the man's hand. There is a slight restoration upper centre. Some visible stains in the upper part.
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Elève de son père Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Giovanni Domenico travailla à ses côtés à de nombreux chantiers de décoration de villas en Vénétie ainsi qu'à Wurtzbourg et au Palais Royal de Madrid. A la mort de celui-ci, il poursuivit une brillante carrière à Venise où il devint en 1780 président de l'Académie. Moins lyrique que son père, il découvrit, dans la réalité contemporaine, des motifs où s'exercent ses dons d'observateur souvent critique.

Ce dessin fait partie d'une série de "Scènes de la vie contemporaine", sans doute datant des années 1790, et représentant des épisodes de la vie quotidienne de Venise.

Caractéristique de l'artiste par sa mise en page et sa technique à la plume et au lavis, cette feuille, très achevée, a été conçue comme une œuvre autonome. La recherche des effets expressifs par le jeu des contrastes entre les réserves de papier et les touches de lavis accentue le caractère dramatique de la scène dans laquelle l'homme n'est vu que de dos.



STUDY OF A MAN CARRYING WOOD UPON HIS SHOULDERS IN A GLOOMY INTERIOR

Pen and brown ink and brown and grey wash;
signed lower centre; 
bears numbering and lengthy inscriptions in brown ink, verso

A pupil of his father Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Giovanni Domenico worked by his side on the decoration of many Venetian villas, as well as at Würzburg and the Royal Palace of Madrid. After the death of the elder Tiepolo, Giandomenico pursued a brilliant career in Venice, and became president of the Academy in 1780. Less lyrical than his father, he looked to contemporary reality for subjects for his brilliant, if often critical, sense of observation.

This drawing is part of the 'Scenes of Contemporary Life' series, dating from the 1790s, drawings that represent with great wit and charm events from daily life in Venice.

The composition and use of ink and wash are characteristic of the artist's work, and the degree of finish defines this as an independent work of art. The exploration of expressive effects, achieved by contrasts between areas of blank paper and wash, emphasizes the dramatic quality of the scene, in which the man is seen from behind.