Book excerpt: Published in conjunction with an exhibit which opened in Venice in 1996 and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York during the first part of 1997. The exhibit organizers aimed to show Tiepolo as one of the presiding geniuses of the European imagination. In essays and entries on every work shown, the text illuminates his formation; his mastery of mythological and poetic subjects; his religious pictures; his excursions into portraiture and studies of ideal heads; and the process by which he proceeded from initial ideas--small- scale sketches--to large canvases and frescoes. Beautifully produced, the volume makes a stunning impact, and will have to suffice for those who can't make it to the exhibit itself. Distributed by Abrams. 10x12"Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR