Giambattista Piazzetta had an affection for the nature-like light darkness of Caravaggio and the soft sfumator of Correggio. What is new, however, is the incorporation of those into the art of drawing. He had a confident sensitivity for form and the eye for shadow planes which are subtly differentiated in themselves ... Light and dark are carefully connected with a sense of the soft ways of painting.
This lively young man is portrayed with a vivid sense for his movement, set in the light of an idealizing white which seems so non-chalant - but every curve and the darker areas are followed with the same interest and subtleness ...