Caricature of a Man Seen from Behind 1755 - 1765

Curator: Ah, this sprightly little fellow by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo—a Caricature of a Man Seen from Behind, dating around 1755 to 1765, executed in pen and brown ink. What leaps out at you? Editor: A monument to retreating hairlines! Seriously though, that billowing coat practically swallows him. He’s almost all back. What's he trying to hide from, or perhaps protect us from seeing? Curator: Well, Tiepolo's caricatures weren’t exactly savage critiques. They’re playful. His virtuosity shines through, even in these seemingly casual sketches. Observe how much he conveys with so few, elegantly placed lines of ink. Editor: Ink was expensive then, so Tiepolo was probably careful with every single line! Each dash had a certain economic weight to it. The paper, too, and what about the social status implied by the clothing depicted, suggesting wealth? Curator: Exactly. There’s this fabulous tension between the extravagance of the costume and this underlying suggestion of… well, perhaps foolishness? And also consider that in the Baroque, what we value now as just a simple ink sketch might have also been the base study, a kind of artistic raw material, for some massive and impressive artwork. Editor: Good point! In thinking about this man's outfit, I'm wondering: who manufactured that coat? What was the worker’s labor situation in its making? A whole chain of unseen makers contributed to what seems like a simple ink representation of fashion. Curator: Which is something that wouldn't be noticed until the late 19th century. I suppose in the earlier baroque days one focused simply on those lavish garments for their value, a material value and artistic resource. Perhaps he's simply a dandyish chap on his way to some sort of… Venetian carnival? Editor: Perhaps. Thinking of carnivals also puts focus on spectacle and performance, the commerce of making, displaying, wearing those garbs—the exchange of goods. Curator: Perhaps it reflects the endless theatricality of Venice itself—everyone’s putting on a show. Either way, this funny little caricature captures a specific, unique character—someone worthy of remembering centuries later. Editor: Definitely food for thought—reminds us that even in seemingly simple images, the layers of materials, labor and production hold unexpected insights.