The Piper 1770

Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, born in Venice, painted this oil on canvas, The Piper. The painting is a portrait of a young man playing a woodwind instrument. During the 18th century, the idea of the individual became prominent through Jean-Jacques Rousseau's philosophy which valued individual liberty and self-expression. Tiepolo here is participating in this cult of the individual with the choice of an informal subject that is not a royal or aristocratic figure, or a figure from mythology. The Venetian economy was in decline in the 1700s, and Venice lost its status as an important port in Europe. This decline also manifested in the decline of the Venetian school of painting. Artists still sought commissions from abroad, as Tiepolo did, and the art market continued to thrive. To understand Tiepolo’s social context, resources about the art market, economy, and social customs of 18th century Venice would be helpful. Art history shows us that the meaning of artworks is always tied to specific social and institutional contexts.