Time and Truth 1696 - 1770

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo created this pen and wash drawing called "Time and Truth" in 18th century Venice. It allegorically represents the triumph of truth over time. The image employs well-worn visual codes. Truth, depicted as a winged figure, is raising a radiant sun, symbolizing enlightenment. Time, often shown as an old man with a beard, leans wearily against her. These figures and their attributes, such as the staff held by Time, would have been immediately legible to Tiepolo's educated contemporaries. Venice, during Tiepolo's time, was a republic steeped in tradition and conscious of its past glory. The city’s art academies played a crucial role in shaping artistic taste and perpetuating established styles. Tiepolo was celebrated by these institutions, but his imagery often also subtly questioned authority, infusing dynamism into familiar forms. By examining the cultural context and iconographic traditions of 18th-century Venice through sources available in archives and libraries, we can better understand how this drawing engaged with the social and institutional landscape of its time. The artwork reminds us that meaning is not fixed but emerges from a dynamic interplay between art, artist, and society.