Feeding the Dog 1682 - 1754

Giovanni Battista Piazzetta rendered "Feeding the Dog" with charcoal and white chalk, a medium he favored for its dramatic contrasts. Piazzetta, working in 18th-century Venice, navigated a society marked by rigid class structures, and his work often reflects an interest in the lives of ordinary people. In "Feeding the Dog", the intimacy shared among the figures, as a woman and a young man tenderly offer food to a dog, departs from the period's traditional aristocratic portraiture. The drawing evokes questions about domesticity and social roles. The soft rendering of the figures humanizes them, inviting viewers to contemplate the emotional bonds between humans and animals, and also subtly questioning the social hierarchies of his time. This piece isn't just a snapshot of daily life; it is a gentle nod to the dignity inherent in everyday interactions.