Thursday, May 28, 2015

Steep Perspective


The wash drawing above by Giambattista Tiepolo (1696-1770) depicts an armored warrior seated aloft and viewed from directly below in extremely steep perspective.

A second scenic warrior with drawn scimitar (below) represents a similar idea, but visible from a marginally less neckbreaking angle. Additional sky dwellers follow. Collectively, they carry on an airborne existence only to be envied by those rooted to the unyielding surface of the earth.

















These Tiepolo drawings, like other recent groups, are preserved at the Morgan Library in New York, including the overall ceiling plan directly above which offers a rough idea of how and where this population of eccentric entities was eventually disposed and exploited.