The Head of a Young Man Looking Upwards to the Right before 1752

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo sketched this head of a young man looking upwards to the right with red chalk in the 18th century. Tiepolo was one of the most celebrated Venetian painters of his time. In the 1700s Venice was a major center for the arts with academies that promoted the study of classical art, anatomy, and life drawing. Looking at this sketch, you can see Tiepolo’s skillful handling of line and his attention to the effects of light and shadow, achieving the illusion of three dimensions. It's possible that this drawing was made in preparation for a larger painting, perhaps one of Tiepolo's celebrated ceiling frescoes. The upward gaze suggests the figure might be an angel or saint in an allegorical scene. To understand Tiepolo's work more fully, we can research the artistic conventions and religious beliefs of 18th-century Venice. By considering its social and institutional context, the sketch reveals its full meaning.