Temptations of St Anthony 

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo painted "Temptations of St Anthony" with oil on canvas. Tiepolo’s Italy in the 1700s was steeped in religious tradition, but also on the cusp of Enlightenment thinking. He has shown us Anthony as a frail old man, overwhelmed by the visions of physical pleasure that test his spiritual resolve. The theatrical drama and sensuous figures are typical of the late Baroque style, appealing to the emotions and senses. In making art for a religious institution, Tiepolo would have been very aware of the power of the Church, but also the changing role of art. Was it primarily for instruction, devotion, or for pleasure? Anthony's trials in the desert can be seen as a way of talking about the tensions between traditional faith and new ideas. To delve deeper, research on the patronage of the Church or the artist’s biography may give us more insights. Ultimately, the meaning of this painting, like all art, is tied to its specific time and place.