Giovanni Battista Piazzetta

GIOVANNI BATTISTA PIAZZETTA (Venice, 1682-1754).
"Madonna and Child".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Provenance: Granados Collection, Madrid.
Measurements: 94 x 71 cm; 101 x 77 cm (frame).
The artist presents us with a scene of great warmth, where several of the most relevant religious themes of Christianity harmonize. At first we could think that it is the representation of the Holy Family, as the figure of San Juanito is on the left side of the composition. However, the main theme is the representation of the Virgin of the Milk or of the Good Milk, also known as the nourishing Virgin or wet nurse, Virgin of the Rest or of the Good Rest, Virgin of Bethlehem or of the grotto of Bethlehem; it is an invocation and an iconography of the Virgin Mary, in which she is represented in the act of breastfeeding the Baby Jesus. This representation has had several developments in sacred art, such as painting, sculpture and the particular iconography of the Orthodox Church. The representation of the Virgin breastfeeding the baby Jesus is mentioned by Pope Gregory the Great.

Giovanni Battista Piazzetta was the son of the sculptor Giacomo Piazzetta, from whom he learned the art of wood carving in his early years. In 1697 he began his pictorial training as a disciple of Antonio Molinari, and later moved to Bologna. He remained there between 1704 and 1705, and furthered his training in the workshop of Giuseppe Maria Crespi, although there is no record of formal tutelage. However, through Crespi Piazzetta was influenced by Carlo Cignani, and the Venetian also learned from Crespi's painting, in which Caravaggio's chiaroscuro is transformed into a language of graceful charm that surrounds the protagonists of his paintings, popular characters taken from everyday life. In Bologna Piazzetta was also impressed by Guercino's paintings. Around 1710 he returned to Venice, where he soon acquired great fame. In his mature years he developed an art characterized by a warm and rich chromatism and by a lyricism endowed with a certain mysterious air. He often depicted peasants in his works, even dressed in rich clothing. He was especially original in the intensity of color he used in his shadows, as well as in the almost supernatural quality with which he endowed his lights, even achieving an impression of three-dimensionality in his paintings. His charcoal drawings are also remarkable, especially those of groups of heads or figures. He also made some engravings. In 1750 Piazzetta was appointed director of the newly founded Scuola di Nudo, and dedicated the last years of his life to teaching. Previously, in 1727, he had been appointed a member of the Accademia Clementina in Bologna. He is currently represented in the Accademia Gallery in Venice, the Louvre Museum, the National Gallery and Royal Collection in London, the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., the J. Paul Getty in Los Angeles, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Pinacoteca Civica di Vicenza, the Albertina in Vienna, the Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid and many others.