Giovanni Battista Tiepolo c. 18th century

Editor: Here we have Giovanni Cattini’s portrait of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. Although undated, it’s currently held in the Harvard Art Museums. The texture achieved in this print is incredible! What catches your eye when you look at this work? Curator: The contrast, primarily. Note how Cattini masterfully employs hatching and cross-hatching to render Tiepolo’s likeness. The tonal gradation achieved through these linear techniques is quite remarkable. The composition is stable, yes? Editor: Yes, certainly. The symmetry lends it a very grounded feel. I hadn't considered the hatching technique so deliberately. Curator: Consider also the gaze. It engages directly, yet the slight smile introduces an element of ambiguity. This calculated ambivalence serves to elevate the portrait beyond mere representation. Editor: That's fascinating; I’ll definitely look at portraits with a more critical eye moving forward!