How did chiaroscuro shape Giovanni Battista Tiepolo's early style?

In his early career, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo was drawn to a melancholic style characterized by strong contrasts of light and shade, known as chiaroscuro. This technique, which uses light and shadow to define three-dimensional forms, provided his early works with a genuine sense of dramatic feeling.12

These strong shadings are notably evident in his first public work, The Sacrifice of Isaac (1716). During this formative period, his style was also influenced by the robust plastic modelling of his Venetian contemporary Giovanni Battista Piazzetta. Tiepolo continued to utilize these dramatic contrasts in works such as The Crucifixion (1723–24).1

It was not until he executed the frescoes at the Palazzo Arcivescovile of Udine after 1726 that he moved away from this early reliance on chiaroscuro. At that point, he began to significantly brighten his color palette, transitioning toward the lightness and elegance that would eventually define his mature Rococo style.31