Artwork
Scherzi di Fantasia: Satyr Family with the Obelisk
Scherzi di Fantasia: Satyr Family with the Obelisk is a print by the Baroque artist Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. It dates from 1755 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Scherzi di Fantasia: Satyr Family with the Obelisk is a print created by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo in 1755, currently part of The Cleveland Museum of Art's collection.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts a chaotic scene of a satyr family entwined around a broken obelisk, conveying a sense of playful, mythological fantasy through its lively, disordered composition.
Technique & Style
Tiepolo employed quick, sketchy lines to capture movement and energy, with rough textures and tangled forms adding to the overall sense of dynamic chaos.
History & Provenance
Created in 1755, the work is now held in the collection of The Cleveland Museum of Art, with its provenance tracing back through ownerships to its current institutional home.
Context
This work aligns with the expressive, dramatic tendencies of the Baroque movement, though its lighthearted, fantastical subject suggests a unique blend of seriousness and playfulness.
Legacy
While specific legacy details are not provided, the work contributes to Tiepolo's broader reputation for capturing dynamic movement and mythological themes in his oeuvre.
Artist & collection
Artist
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, also known as Giambattista Tiepolo, was an Italian painter and printmaker from the Republic of Venice who painted in the Rococo style, considered an important member of the 18th-century Venetian school.
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