The Fall of the Giants was Longhi’s one major attempt at historical painting. Under the tutelage of Antonio Balestra, the great historical painter, Longhi completed the painting on the ceiling of the Palazzo Sagredo, but it failed both artistically and critically. Longhi’s terrible failure at his first major attempt at historical painting is most likely the reason why he turned from painting grand historical themes to smaller, quiet scenes of social life. His later mentor was Giuseppe Maria Crespi, who painted studies of contemporary life, and was thus one of the reasons why Longhi was able to succeed as a popular artist.
More ...