Three Cherubs and a Beribboned Staff 1750

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo created this drawing, "Three Cherubs and a Beribboned Staff," using red chalk on blue paper. The choice of materials is significant; red chalk allowed Tiepolo to achieve a range of tones and textures, essential for capturing the soft, cherubic faces. The blue paper serves as a mid-tone, enhancing the luminosity of the red chalk highlights and deepening the shadows. Tiepolo's technique involved layering chalk strokes to build form and volume, demonstrating a mastery of draftsmanship. The medium of drawing allowed for a directness and immediacy, revealing the artist's hand in the swift, confident lines. In his time, the drawings would have been considered less important than paintings, being seen as preparatory. But today, we recognize the skill involved in drawing, and its capacity to explore social narratives. It is tempting to speculate on the labour and devotion involved in creating red chalks, or the manufacture of blue paper. Paying attention to materials and processes helps us understand the artist's skill, and the value we give to artworks of this kind.