Grotesque Masks: Mask 9, Book I
1610
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1610
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Grotesque Masks: Mask 9, Book I is a 1610 by Aloisio Giovannoli, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This drawing shows a strange, swirling face with big eyes and a wide, toothy mouth. The skin looks wrinkled and bumpy, like it’s melting or stretching. Around the face are curly, leafy shapes that almost look like vines or seaweed tangled up. This kind of weird, dreamy face was part of a book of odd designs. People in the 1600s collected these "grotesque" patterns for decorations—think of them like early weird wallpaper. Next, check out the Baroque movement to see more dramatic, swirling art like this.
Aloisio Giovannoli (1550–1618) was an Italian artist, born in Civita Castellana.
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