Focus on Scipio Africanus Freeing Massiva (painting) and analyze the Composition.
Tiepolo's use of oil paints achieves bright pearlescent colours, with vibrant reds and blues drawing attention over the somewhat subdued orange and yellow tones of much of the painting. Because few colours are highly saturated the strong red at the centre of the painting draws the eye directly to Scipio on the top of the central dais. Scipio's outstretched arm then leads the viewer's eye around the painting to the right.
This sight line is the basis of a pyramid, formed as the eye is then drawn to the left along the base of the painting by the sweeping curve of the dais. The rich blue in the costume of the standard bearer directly in the foreground then catches the eye and leads the viewer back to the top of the dais along the diagonal lines of his body. The figures on the right are bathed in a bright light which strongly contrasts the deep shadows and dark tones to the left of the painting. This helps to direct the gaze as the eye is drawn towards the brightly light space and then directed back to the centre, away from the darker areas.
The painting is separated into three sections by the dais at the base and the architectural feature towards the top, both of which use strong horizontal lines to create a defined central area of the painting. The colours and figures are confined to the central section of the painting where their diagonal and open stances create a strong sense of movement. The top and bottom sections of the painting are dominated by layered horizontal and vertical lines, in the floor tiles in the lower section and the architectural features in the top, that give the painting depth. Tiepolo's masterful use of foreshortening in the figures accentuates this depth.
oil paint Scipio