Youth Playing a Pipe for a Satyr 1645 - 1650

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione created this drawing using pen and brown ink with brush and watercolor. Castiglione was from Genoa, which, in the 17th century, was an important port city and a crossroads of artistic exchange. This drawing suggests some of the key cultural tensions of its time: it invokes the classical world through its mythological subject, but does so in a rough, informal style. We might think about it in relation to academies of art that were developing at this time, institutions that promoted the study of classical art, yet also sought to formalize artistic training and exert control over artistic production. This work sits outside those institutions, with its rapid, expressive lines and earthy tones suggesting the vitality of popular culture over the grandeur of official art. To better understand this drawing, we might research the artistic and cultural landscape of 17th century Genoa, looking at the influences that shaped Castiglione's style and the audiences for his work.