The Last Judgment by Giambattista Tiepolo

Giambattista Tiepolo

The Last Judgment

Giambattista Tiepolo

Born in Venice in 1696, Tiepolo learnt his trade in the workshop of maestro Gregorio Lazzarini, and in 1717 he was already a member of the Fraglia dei Pittori Veneziani (the Corporation of Venetian painters). Thus, it is likely that at that time he was already working independently. Besides Venice, in his lengthy artistic career, he painted a series of frescoes in the nearby cities of Udine, Vicenza and Milan. His artistic skills were such that his name became famous in all of the courts of Europe. He was summoned to work also in Würzburg, in Bavaria, and in Madrid at the court of Charles III, where he was to pass away in 1770.

Giambattista Tiepolo

Born in Venice in 1696, Tiepolo learnt his trade in the workshop of maestro Gregorio Lazzarini, and in 1717 he was already a member of the Fraglia dei Pittori Veneziani (the Corporation of Venetian painters). Thus, it is likely that at that time he was already working independently. Besides Venice, in his lengthy artistic career, he painted a series of frescoes in the nearby cities of Udine, Vicenza and Milan. His artistic skills were such that his name became famous in all of the courts of Europe. He was summoned to work also in Würzburg, in Bavaria, and in Madrid at the court of Charles III, where he was to pass away in 1770.

Tiepolo is considered one of the greatest Venetian artists of the eighteenth century, and is famous for his frescoes featuring dreamlike compositions and magnificent scenes. Thanks to his incredible pictorial ability, he was able to create the illusion of infinite space in the rooms he decorated.

147,5 x 198 cm

Date: 1730 - 1735
Medium: oil on canvas

Introduction

The painting, of a considerable size, was probably meant to be a sketch to be used as the basis for a frescoed ceiling, since lost or never actually completed, of a particular building. A large light-blue strip of sky is populated by figures emerging from the clouds, painted in colours ranging from yellow, to orange and grey, and this continuous alternation of colours lends the whole composition a certain uniformity. All of the items depicted on the canvas follow a circular movement, as if part of a cupola, culminating in the figure of Christ at the centre of the scene.

The work is at Fondazione Querini Stampalia in Venice.

The painting, of a considerable size, was probably meant to be a sketch to be used as the basis for a frescoed ceiling, since lost or never actually completed, of a particular building. A large light-blue strip of sky is populated by figures emerging from the clouds, painted in colours ranging from yellow, to orange and grey, and this continuous alternation of colours lends the whole composition a certain uniformity. All of the items depicted on the canvas follow a circular movement, as if part of a cupola, culminating in the figure of Christ at the centre of the scene.

The work is at Fondazione Querini Stampalia in Venice.

The work emphasises the importance of Christ seen as the Good Shepherd, an image deriving from ancient Jewish tradition, whereby the concept of good government coincides with that of the care that people take of their flocks. In fact, every evening, before going to bed, the Israelite farmers used to separate the sheep from the goats so as to show respect for their diversity. In recalling this gesture rooted in rural customs, the Christian story of the last judgement, as it appears in the Gospel according to Saint Mathew, imagines the division of humanity into two opposing factions: to the right of the good shepherd, the sheep gather, that is, those people worthy of salvation; while to the left the evil goats gather, symbolising those destined for damnation.

The depiction of Christ in the guise of celestial ruler and supreme judge is related to the anticipated Second Coming of Christ, that is, his resurrection on Earth in order to proclaim the end of time. This theme recurs often in the Acts of the Apostles, written during a period in which the first Christian communities began to question the ultimate fate of body and soul. The theme of the Last Judgement, however, is not interpreted as a tragic event, but rather as a promise of salvation.

Seated on a group of soft, light clouds, Christ is depicted raising his right arm to indicate that the time has come for his Last Judgement. The other arm is resting on a large celestial sphere symbolising the entire universe, and represents him as “Jesus Christ, King of the Universe”.

Behind him, a number of cherubs are holding up the white cloth of the shroud symbolising the resurrection.

The angels surrounding Christ are holding the various iconographic attributes alluding to the Saviour’s passion and salvation. To the right, two angels are holding up a large cross and an open book revealing Hebrew inscriptions; to the left there is an angel with a large book, while all around divine messengers sound trumpets announcing the Last Judgement.

There are further clouds and figures in the four corners of the painting. In the top right-hand corner, you can make out angels with various symbols of the passion, such as the ladder, the nails, the crown of thorns and the sponge soaked in vinegar, in remembrance of the sacrifice of the Son of God as a premise for his going up into heaven. In the top left-hand corner, a number of angels are playing trumpets.

The Christian story of the Last Judgement is depicted by the artist in the bottom part of the painting, characterised by the use of darker colours, deformed, diabolical figures associated with the image of damnation, cloaked in dark clouds impetuously surrounding the souls.