Studie voor een Atlant 1644 - 1718

Giuseppe Maria Mitelli made this drawing, Studie voor een Atlant, using pen and brown ink with brush in grey, over black chalk. Mitelli was working in Bologna in the 17th century. The image depicts a male figure known as an Atlas, a figure often used in classical architecture to support a structure. In the Renaissance and Baroque periods, the image of the Atlas took on symbolic meaning as representations of power and status. Atlantes were used to decorate the palaces of wealthy and powerful families, or to mark important civic buildings. The politics of imagery are particularly important in Baroque Italy, where the Catholic Church was a powerful patron of the arts. It used art to promote its message and ideals. But while this drawing might seem to celebrate power, Mitelli was also a satirist. His prints often mocked the pretensions of the aristocracy and clergy. By looking at other images and printed works made in Bologna at the time, we can better understand the social conditions that shaped Mitelli's art and what public role it played.