Peasants at Rest

The prevailing style of the first half of the 18th century was set by the enormous success of often flamboyant Venetian painters: Sebastiano Ricci, Piazzetta, and above all, Giambattista Tiepolo. But there were other currents as well. The Lombard painters Ceruti and Ghislandi, the Genoese artist Magnasco, Crespi from Bologna and Traversi from Naples (in addition of course Giandomenico Tiepolo in Venice) all adopted different but equally lively approaches. These artists paid close attention to themes and people taken from everyday life, which later led to the strand of "social" painting of the second half of the nineteenth century. Giandomenico Tiepolo's frescoes in the guest house of Villa Valmarana represent examples of this approach.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 26 minutes): Johann Sebastian Bach: Cantata BWV 212 (Bauernkantate)