The Gathering of Manna

The Gathering of Manna by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo is a painting depicting an essential scene from the Old Testament, when manna, which was divinely bestowed on the people of Israel, was collected by them in the wilderness. The theme here involves themes such as divine providence, faith, survival, and God’s relation with His people. In this work, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo renders the biblical story using the magnificence and drama seen in eighteenth-century Italian paintings, turning the holy event into an interesting piece. Usually, the painting symbolizes the gathering of manna by the Israelites from the ground. In doing this, they use a lot of gestures and actions that demonstrate awe, appreciation, and eagerness to pick up the food which will sustain their lives. In the composition by Tiepolo, there is a good utilization of different gestures, actions, and facial expressions of various figures that show the sense of wonder, thankfulness and rush of the people to get the food needed for their survival. The mastery of composition of the famous artist helps the viewers to follow the actions of figures through the whole scenery surrounding them. The monumental painting is a result of creation made between 1740-1742 for the Church of San Lorenzo in Verolanuova, Italy. It was designed together with the other painting in the same church as one pair of religious paintings. Being an outstanding representative of Rococo style in art, Tiepolo uses daylight and contrast in his work to create the sense of airiness and movement of the earthly crowd. The interaction between the earthly and heavenly elements adds the dramatic nature of the event, and Moses serves as an intermediary between the Israelites and supernatural power.