The painting The Triumph of Venice depicts a scene where a clothed woman is being pulled on a triumphal car by two winged lions surrounded by what appears to be men and women dressed in Roman battle armor and traditional clothes with the Grand Canal in the background. Upon first glance, one would think this is a seemingly odd painting, but each person and object present is symbolic of Venice during this time period. “The Triumph of Venice” was painted by the Italian painter Pompeo Girolamo Batoni in 1737 during a time period in Venice known as The Golden Age of Venice and is an example of neoclassical art. Neoclassicism originated in Rome, but became popular in France as French art students came home with newly rediscovered Greco-Roman ideals (Neoclassical Art Movement). Characteristics of neoclassicism in paintings include clear and sharp outlines, people looking polished and statue like, and dressed in Greek robes and Roman togas (Neoclassical Art Movement). Batoni is famous for his neoclassical pieces and this particular painting is a prime example of what neoclassical art was all about. Unlike during Pompeo Girolamo Batoni’s life, his paintings are now viewed with significance and are important in representing life and art in Italy during The Golden Age of Venice.
The Triumph of Venice is oil on canvas which is a typical media used by artists during this time period. The painting consist of mostly warmer colors like yellows, reds, and browns that make up the people and buildings depicted while on a backdrop of cooler colors like blue which make up images of the Grand Canal and sky. Warmer tones are used to convey feelings of excitement and happiness, so it makes sense that Batoni’s painting consist of mostly warmer colors because The Triumph of Venice celebrates the rebirth of the fine arts in the Venetian Republic. These feelings are further emphasized placed against the cool background of the painting which is relatively dull compared to the rest of the piece created by Batoni, but it also gives viewers a sense of location. Batoni’s choice of colors are used to express feelings of enthusiasm and anticipation for the return of importance of the arts in Venice and for its bright future ahead.
The painting is centered around a womanly figure being carried on a triumphal car pulled by winged lions and is surrounded by other men and women all of which are dressed in ancient Roman attire. Upon further review and research, one learns that the woman centered in the painting represents the city of Venice and the winged lions represent St. Mark and symbolize the city of Venice and formerly the Republic of Venice (Humanities Web). The people surrounding the woman on the chariot are of significance as well. To her left on the cart, the Doge (governor of The Republic of Venice) Lionardo Loredan is portrayed gesturing towards Ceres (the Roman goddess of agriculture and grain), excepting harvest offerings (Humanities Web). Other Roman gods and goddesses are illustrated in the painting like the goddess Minerva who is the patroness of the fine arts, Poseidon who is the mythological patron of the Venetian Republic and is shown pointing towards the city Mars, and Mercury the messenger god who is shown presenting the history of the Republic of Venice’s achievements to a group of old sages (Humanities Web). Above the woman that represents Venice, are the figures of Fame, but particularly double-faced History whose older face is looking back at the Republic of Venice’s glorious past while her younger face is looking towards Venice’s bright and prosperous future (Humanities Web). All of the figures presented in Batoni’s painting are used to represent the city of Venice and celebrate the rebirth of the fine arts in the city. He uses the neoclassical style of art to make these representations through Roman gods and goddesses to depict the return of the arts and also to show the prosperity of Venice during this specific time period.
The Triumph of Venice was painted in 1737 during a period in Venice known as the Golden Age of Venice. This was a prosperous time period for The Republic of Venice, crops flourished and the fines arts had returned to Italy. Probably the greatest influence on the fine arts and Pompeo Girolamo Batoni during this time period was a trip now known as The Grand Tour. During Batoni’s time The Grand Tour was considered a mobile finishing school in arts and manners, thus many aspiring artists traveled throughout Italy studying pieces of art and the artists that created them. Visiting cities like Venice and Rome was a must due to their growing reputations during this time period as places that possess treasures in the fine arts. It is through this tour how the style of neoclassical art and Batoni gained popularity in Europe, but it wouldn’t be until modern times when Batoni and his works would be considered of importance and respected. Batoni specialized in and is most known for painting portraits. British customers of noble origin would go on The Grand Tour particularly to get Batoni to paint portraits of themselves. It is through this process how Batoni gained huge popularity in the United Kingdom and came to paint portraits of high class government officials and kings and queens. Italian artist praised him, while non-Italian artist considered him unimportant. During his life, Batoni’s works were considered insignificant in the eyes of artists outside of Italy due to his cheap prices and willingness to please and paint exactly what buyers asked of him (Pompeo Batoni…). What other artist were seeing as irrelevant, is known seen to be of great importance in preserving the history of neoclassical art and revealing the artistic taste of locals and visitors to Rome and Venice in eighteenth-century Italy.
After further review, it makes sense as to why Batoni depicted The Triumph of Venice the way he did. He followed the trends of neoclassicism by painting its characteristics like depicting people in traditional Roman/Greek clothing, including clear/sharp outlines, and people appeared polished and statue like. However, Batoni made this painting original and unique to him by his choices of color and symbolic representations of The Republic of Venice. Batoni probably wanted to make such an elegant and detailed painting to show the tranquility of Italian art during the Golden Age of Venice. This time period was all about the rebirth of the fine arts and The Triumph of Venice has become a perfect representation of this. Depicted by the painting, the woman representing Venice is centered and being pulled on a cart because Batoni wanted to express the importance and power that the city had. Everyone else represented in the painting was either giving something to Venice or was speaking of the city’s glory. The presence of ancient Roman gods and goddesses was not only a characteristic of neoclassical art, but also makes the painting more powerful and elegant through their appearance in the piece. Batoni did this to express his feelings towards The Republic of Venice. He wanted to show how the city was flourishing and how its fame and glory was something to be noticed, even by the ancient Roman gods. Batoni wanted to create a piece that he knew would be remembered as art students passed by his studio on The Grand Tour.
When first viewing The Triumph of Venice viewers see an old painting illustrating some people in front of The Grand Canal, but upon further review one discovers its hidden symbols and what the painting represents as a whole. Each aspect present has a meaning and interpretation. The color choice conveys many different emotions upon viewers like happiness and excitement. The winged-lions are symbols of The Republic of Venice the Roman gods present were selected based on their relevance to Venice and the fine arts. All of the artistic choices Batoni selected to be present in The Triumph of Venice were chosen to give the best interpretation of the Golden Age of Venice that he could possibly give. Today one can truly sense what life and art was like during this time period thanks to Batoni’s detailed works. They maybe not have been considered relevant during his time period, but today they are viewed as masterpieces and give viewers a look into Italy’s past.
Works Cited
Bowron, Edgar, and Peter Kerber. "POMPEO BATONI: PRINCE OF PAINTERS IN EIGHTEENTH- CENTURY ROME." Wiley Online Library. 31 Oct. 2008. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
Zaki, Fady. "Neoclassical Art Movement." IdentifyThisArt.com. Identify This Art, 17 February 2013. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
Tice, Jim, Erik Steiner, and Allen Ceen. "18th Century Rome and the Grand Tour." Imago Urbis. University of Oregon, 2008. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
Os, Henk Van. "All That Glitters." Hermitage Amsterdam. 10 June 2004. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.
""The Triumph of Venice" by Pompeo Girolamo Batoni." HumanitiesWeb. 28 Oct. 2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.
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