Art Analysis: Glorification of the Barbaro Family
A visual and written analysis of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo's painting.
This analysis was originally written and formatted for Twitter. Click the link HERE to read the original Twitter Thread.
Let's discover how Tiepolo's "Glorification of the Barbaro Family" uses perspective and symbolism, opening a portal to the heavens.
That's right, this painting was originally mounted to the ceiling...
...somewhere in the Barbaro family's Venitian home.
To get a sense of the vibe, here’s an overly ornate room in Palazzo Barbaro, filled with paintings. I like the sculptural clouds on the ceiling.
Imagine you're looking UP at this painting, like through a skylight.
Tiepolo used a perspective technique, foreshortening (shortening the body), to create the illusion of overhead depth.
Green: Flat torsos, parallel to picture plane Red: Foreshortened torsos, projecting upward.
Here's another example of Foreshortening, using my hand.
To succeed in drawing or painting my Foreshortened hand on the right, I'd have to accurately depict my hand's squashed HEIGHT on the picture plane (paper or canvas).
Easy right? Wrong.
Our brains are the challenge!
Look at the Foreshortened hand. We THINK see a whole hand, but it's really a short lumpy thing. As a beginner, you'll likely end up drawing a flat hand by accident.
Practice drawing what you SEE, not what you THINK you see.
Back to the painting.
To represent the Barbaro family, Tiepolo depicts god-like allegorical figures in the sky/heavens: Fame, Nobility, Prudence, Putto, Valor and Abundance.
Fame is the most prominent figure, performing with a trumpet, shouting this family’s prominence to the world.
The body gestures of the other god-like figures point to Fame. Fame sits at the peak of a 'mountain' formed by Valor, Abundance, and that angel on the left.
Prudence is in, what looks like, an engaging conversation with Nobility. A snake, representing creative life force, is wrapped around Prudence's arm.
Influencing society, this family is filled with diplomats, Church leaders, military commanders, scientists and philosophers.
Then there's little Putto.
This sweet baby angel is a reminder that God is always present.
I noticed Fame, a figure representing the Barbaro family, is locked in on Putto. Curious to hear your thoughts on why?
Valor and Abundance are ganged up, looking down on us peasants. Flaunting their toughness & wealth. They're the ONLY ones engaging with us (the viewers), enforcing our place in society: beneath the Barbaro family.
Don't mess with them, or their big scary cat.
To further the dominance established here, an angel next to Fame communicates with the only visible angel in the heavens. There are bits of angels revealed, just limbs and wings. Us peasants only get a glimpse of the heavens.
The Barbaro family is watching over us.
Also, this painting is huge.
I thought it was it's size and vibrant colors that initially captivated me at the MET last week. But maybe it's the Barbaro family still exuding their dominance 300 years later.
Curious to know, what are your thoughts on this painting?
Are there any specific artists or artworks you’d like me to analyze?
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