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Piazzetta received early instruction from Antonio Molinari, but Giuseppe Maria Crespi in Bologna became his real teacher. To him he owed his loose manner of painting; an earthy, warm palette competing with whites, and a chiaroscuro used to create an atmosphere rather than the pathos which had been produced until recently by Johann Liss and Johann Carl Loth. When he left Crespi and returned to Venice in 1711, his art presented a complete contrast to the prevailing Venetian style as represented by Ricci, Pellegrini and Amigoni. It was not until the 1720s that Piazzetta used lighter tones. His scenes from the Old and New Testaments were painted in the genre style, and have an almost tactile closeness. Piazzetta is regarded one of the most important representatives of 18th century Venetian painting.
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