1696-1770

Renowned for his frescoes, Giambattista Tiepolo rose from humble beginnings to become a master of eighteenth-century Italian painting in the grand tradition.  His works exude physical power through compelling depictions in which his subjects seem to leap off the surface.  Apprenticed under Gregorio Lazzarini, Tiepolo showed his works independently.  The maturation of his oeuvre in the 1720s, with Old Testament scenes painted at the Archbishop’s Palace at Udine, embraced the luminous palette and dramatic force of his subjects that became Tiepolo’s hallmark.  During the 1750s and ’60s Tiepolo received royal commissions:  the prince’s palace in Wurzburg and Charles III’s ceiling frescoes at the Madrid Palace.  Public collections including his work are at the Art Institute of Chicago and the National Gallery, London.