Could it just be me, or are there a lot of Venetian artists in our history with the first and middle names Giovanni Batista? I don't know for certain, but it sure seems to be the case. With all the researching I have been doing for various artists over the past few months, I have noticed this name popping up quite often. I just had to point this coincidence out . . . now on to the article:
Giovanni Batista Piazzeta, an Italian painter during the Rococo era, was also commonly known as Giovanni Battista Piazzetta or Giovanni Valentino Piazetta. He was born in Venice in 1683 into an artist's family. His father, Giacomo (Venetian sculptor and wood carver) provided much of Piazzeta's early training. Some discount his father's teachings for one reason or another and attribute his fundamental techniques to the teachings received by Antonio Molinari from 1697 to 1703. Piazzeta wished he could imitate such masters as Carracci and Guercino's style, so he went to Bologna to study them. He also received much of his influence from Rembrandt's etchings.
His slow production of pieces slowed his own personal success, but this fact did not change his work habits. I have noticed in my own work and through researching others, that this is not an uncommon thing to happen to artists. Early on he made his living selling drawings of heads and single figures. Collectors sought after much of this type of work. Later in his career he began creating many drawings to be engraved as book illustrations. His work greatly influenced Giovanni Battista Tiepolo as mentioned in a previous article under this topic category dated February 8, 2000.
I have presented three of his works in the body of this article: A Shepherd Family Resting, Soothsay and Pastoral Scene. I chose them not for their success, but from my own tastes. I viewed several of his pieces at online galleries such as artcyclopedia.com and in books I was able to find at the library. My intent was to provide examples of the etchings he created as book illustrations, but I was unable to find any clear scans. There was not much information about each specific piece as far as I could tell at this time, but if I come across any I will post it immediately.
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