The Chariot of Aurora
Historical Context
The Chariot of Aurora — the goddess of dawn driving her horses across the sky — was a classic ceiling painting subject that Tiepolo treated in 1734 with the soaring spatial invention that would make him the greatest fresco painter of the eighteenth century. The subject's essential upward movement and celestial setting perfectly suited the illusionistic ceiling paintings that were Tiepolo's supreme achievement. This oil version may have served as a modello for a fresco commission or as an independent work.
Technical Analysis
Explosive upward composition with radically foreshortened horses and billowing drapery creates the illusion of figures bursting through the picture surface. The dawn palette of rose, gold, and pale blue captures the specific atmospheric quality of early morning light.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the radically foreshortened horses bursting upward through the picture surface, creating the soaring illusion of a ceiling painting.
- ◆Look at the dawn palette of rose, gold, and pale blue that captures the specific atmospheric quality of early morning light as Aurora drives her chariot.
- ◆Observe the billowing drapery that amplifies the explosive upward movement, demonstrating why this subject perfectly suited Tiepolo's illusionistic ceiling style.
