1755
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Scherzi di Fantasia: Magician Pointing Out a Burning Head to Two Youths is a 1755 by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a magician pointing out a burning head to two youths in this painting. The scene is eerie and mysterious. The magician and youths are surrounded by strange objects, which adds to the sense of unease. This painting is interesting because it shows the artist's ability to create a sense of tension and drama. The use of dark shadows and bold lines adds to the mood of the scene. Look up the technique of chiaroscuro to learn more about how artists use light and dark to create mood.
A scherzo is a musical composition made up of little phrases, with implications of playfulness. Tiepolo's Scherzi are improvised scenes of magicians, philosophers, soldiers, old men in turbans, and shepherds who consult horoscopes, skulls, skeletons, and snakes among altars, ruins, and ancient bas-reliefs. The transitory nature of life, the vanity of human pursuits, and direct confrontation with death, are the recurring themes. The eerie mood of the prints reflect the preoccupation of 18th-century Venice with magic, superstition, and witchcraft. Light was Tiepolo's essential means of…
Read the full account in the museum source.
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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