The Flight, Joseph at Right and Mary and Angel at Left 1750 - 1753

Editor: This pen sketch by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, dating back to the mid-18th century, is called "The Flight, Joseph at Right and Mary and Angel at Left". I find the frantic, almost chaotic energy in the linework really compelling. What stands out to you about it? Curator: It's interesting you pick up on the energy. I think that chaos reflects the real human drama amidst the divine subject. See how Tiepolo doesn't present the Holy Family in serene detachment? Instead, there's a tangible sense of urgency in their escape, a flight, yes, but also a *scamper*. Even the landscape feels restless, doesn't it? What do you make of the composition – that division between right and left, Joseph versus Mary and the Angel? Editor: Well, Joseph is very weighed down on the right side. With someone on his back, he seems far less ethereal than Mary and the angel, more of this world? Curator: Exactly! There's a very earthy quality about Joseph, and that weight on his back certainly emphasizes his burden—the need to provide, to protect. Tiepolo is brilliant at showing us not just a religious icon, but a family, burdened and in motion. And the angel, gesturing protectively? That Baroque flourish in the wings. This isn’t just a depiction of the flight to Egypt; it's a contemplation on responsibility and faith. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Editor: I agree, and I see all this now in that original hectic linework. He conveys so much in what might appear to be a relatively quick sketch. Curator: And that immediacy adds to its power, doesn't it? Art isn’t just about flawless execution, but about capturing a feeling, a fleeting moment of human truth. Tiepolo grabs it, rough edges and all, and throws it onto the page for us to grapple with. I think I learned something too!