Caricature of a Fat Man, Seen From Behind

"Caricature of a Fat Man, Seen From Behind" is a masterful example of eighteenth-century Italian draftsmanship by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, executed between 1755 and 1765. This drawing, classified in the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection, was created using pen and black ink combined with an expressive gray wash, a technique that showcases the artist’s spontaneous skill outside of his grand fresco commissions.

The subject is rendered with swift, confident lines characteristic of Tiepolo's later period. The composition focuses entirely on the large, imposing figure of a man viewed strictly from the rear, emphasizing his substantial girth and the heavy, voluminous drape of his coat. Caricatures were a popular form of social commentary and entertainment among Venetian artists, providing lighthearted relief from the serious demands of religious or historical painting. Tiepolo frequently used such rapid studies of everyday men to explore form, movement, and expressive contours, capturing human idiosyncrasies through minimalist, gestural means.

The technique of combining sharp pen lines with the soft atmospheric quality of the gray washes allows Tiepolo to model the figure with quick efficiency, utilizing light and shadow to enhance the humorous exaggeration central to the caricature genre. This classification as a drawing reveals Tiepolo’s personal or preparatory studies, distinct from his finished oils. The piece resides in the extensive collection of European Drawings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As this important piece is now frequently available in the public domain, high-quality prints allow widespread study and access to this insightful example of Tiepolo's graphic genius.