Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo
Today the Carnival of Venice starts! :) World-famous for its elaborate masks, it is said that it was started from a victory of the Republic of Venice against the Patriarch of Aquileia, Ulrico di Treven, in the year 1162. In honor of this victory, the people started to dance and gather in San Marco Square. Apparently, this festival started on that period and became official in the Renaissance. It encouraged licentiousness and pleasure, but it was also used to protect Venetians from present and future anguish.
Today we present a painting by one of the Rococo masters, Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo. The action of the painting is inspired in the plays of Carlo Goldoni and depicts the stock characters of Commedia dell'arte, Pantalone and Colombina, with other elegantly dressed masked figures, dancing in the gardens of a villa. This is a genre scene set in the atmosphere of the Carnival, the event that made a visit to the city of Venice a must for European travellers in the 18th century. Here, Tiepolo uses the Carnival as a pretext for describing the customs and the atmosphere among the people around it: a society that concealed its decadence and took refuge behind fleeting appearances, amusements, and pastimes.
Hmm, someone said: decadence? Time to party! Party like a Venetian here!