Who was Giovanni Battista Tiepolo? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Italian Celebrities Born In March

Also Known As: Giambattista Tiepolo, Gianbattista Tiepolo

Died At Age: 74

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Maria Cecilia Guardi

father: Domenico Tiepolo

mother: Orsetta Tiepolo

children: Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, Giuseppe Tiepolo, Lorenzo Baldissera Tiepolo

Italian Men Italian Artists & Painters

Died on: March 27, 1770

place of death: Madrid, Spain

City: Venice, Italy

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Childhood & Early Life

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo was born in the city of Venice, Italy on 5 March, 1696 to Domenico Tiepolo and Orsetta Tiepolo. Tiepolo’s father had a minor shipping business and the family belonged among the elite families in Italy. Tiepolo was the youngest among six siblings.

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo’s father passed away when he was only a year old and it is believed that he grew up in a bit of financial strife. However, his talents as a painter were evident and it wasn’t long before he started taking lessons in painting.

At the age of 14 he started training under the guidance of the painter Gregorio Lazzarini and produced his first works a few years later. However, it must also be highlighted here that Tiepolo explored the work of a number of other contemporary artists like Giovanni Battista Piazzetta as well as Sebastinio Ricci and assimilated that into his work.

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Career

He became a member of the guild of painters in the 1717 known as the Fraglia and at the same time he became an independent painter. He had painted his first fresco the previous year but it was three years later that he got his first major commission when he worked on the fresco in the villa belonging to Giambattista Baglione in Massanzago. An element of illusionary effect in aintings became a hallmark of his work.

He was hired by Dioniso Dolfin, member of an influential family and the Archbishop of Udine, to decorate a church at Udine with images inspired from the events in the book of Genesis in 1726. Later on the Archbishop asked him to do the same at his own palace. He followed it up with frescoes like ‘The Glory of St. Theresa’ as well as ‘The Force of Eloquence’.

He was inspired by great Venetian painters but also added his own vision to his work and experts say his works had a certain level of wit to them. In a three year span ending in 1729, Tiepolo completed 10 huge canvas paintings that were meant to adorn the Grand Canal in Venice. Those canvasses are considered to be his masterpieces. He produced several other famous works like Verolanuova and also decorated many well known buildings in Italy.

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo had gained a reputation of being one of the finest artists in the continent and in 1750, he went to Wurzburg, Germany, at the invitation of a Prince. During his three years stay in Germany, he decorated the ceilings at New Residenz palace and also completed the ‘Allegory of the Planets and Continents’.

In 1753 Tiepolo came back to his native Venice from Germany and due to his enhanced reputation was given plenty of important commissions. During this period he created the fresco named ‘Triumph of the Faith’ and also worked on the decoration for houses of wealthy patrons.

Charles III gave Giovanni Battista Tiepolo the commission of painting the fresco at the Royal Place of Madrid in 1761. Tiepolo created the Apotheosis of Spain that recounts the glory of Spanish conquests. Tiepolo also supplied the paintings for the S. Pascual church located in Aranjuez.

Major Works

He was one of the most famous artists in Europe for a major portion of his life due to his masterful creations but as far as his most important work is concerned it is hard to look past the 10 canvasses he created for the Grand Canal of Venice in 1729.

Personal Life & Legacy

Tiepolo married Maria Cecilia Guardi, who belonged to a noble family, in the year 1719. The couple had nine children, four of which were daughters and among the sons only three survived.

Tiepolo died on 27 March, 1770 at the age of 74 in Madrid, Spain.

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Biography