Titian is an Italian artist whose contribution to world painting cannot be overestimated. The work of Titian is often put on a par with the paintings of Michelangelo, and the details of the artist's biography are still of interest to both art historians and connoisseurs of beauty.
By the age of 30, the painter had earned the fame of the most talented creator in Venice, and after a while he became known to the rest of the world as an unsurpassed master.
Titian Vecellio - this is the full name of the artist - was born in the Italian town of Pieve di Cadore. There are still disputes about the exact year of the master’s birth: based on various sources, Titian was born in the period from 1488 to 1490. In addition, a letter from Titian to the Spanish monarch Philip II has been preserved, in which the already elderly artist names the year of his birth as 1474. However, the most probable dates are 1488 and 1490.
Titian's talent manifested itself from early childhood, and already at the age of 10, his father sent his son to Venice to study with Sebastiano Zuccato, the eminent mosaic master. After some time, the young man went to study at the workshop of the Bellini family of painters and sculptors, where he met talented masters of that time, and also gradually began to hone his own style of painting.
It is known that the artist Giorgione became a close friend and inspiration for Titian at that time, and the young man performed the first serious works (we are talking about frescoes for the Venetian palace of Fondaco dei Tedeschi) together with him. Unfortunately, only small fragments of these frescoes have survived.
From the earliest works, Titian paid much attention to ecclesiastical and mythological subjects. The most famous works of the initial period of the master's work were "Portrait of Gerolamo Barbarigo" and "Madonna and Child with Saints Anthony of Padua and Rock." Both paintings were painted between 1509 and 1511.
Titian, Madonna and Child, Saints Roque and Anthony of Padua The saints for the "Madonna and Child" were not chosen by chance - Anthony of Padua and Roque, according to the artist's contemporaries, protected from the plague. In 1510, Titian's friend and mentor, Giorgione, died because of this terrible disease. After his death, Titian spent several months finishing the paintings that Giorgione did not complete.
Titian's work of that period is dedicated to female beauty: the artist painted dozens of Madonnas and portraits of pretty townswomen. Ladies from the master's paintings are characterized by calmness and inner peace. Of the features of the style, art historians note the purity of colors and the spatial depth of the paintings. The most famous works of the mid-1510-1520s are still "Gypsy Madonna", "Woman with a Mirror", "Earthly Love and Heavenly Love".
Titian, "Gypsy Madonna" With the death of Giorgione, who was considered the best Venetian painter, this title passed to Titian. By that time, the artist had finally developed his own style. Titian still remained faithful to the plots of biblical mythology, but his paintings gradually began to show monumentality, “breadth of scope”, which to this day delights connoisseurs of art. The master arranged the compositions of some canvases diagonally, which also gave the paintings vitality, and the audience - a sense of "movement" of images. Such are the "Ascension of the Mother of God", "Bacchus and Ariadne", "Madonna Pesaro".
Titian, "Bacchus and Ariadne" In 1533, Titian was awarded the noble title of Count Palatine. At this time, the artist painted mostly portraits. The master did not refuse the orders of ordinary citizens and the nobility, but he also painted according to his own choice. Titian easily managed to capture the main thing in the image of a person - character, mood, kindness, or, on the contrary, deceit and hypocrisy. The artist did not spare anyone, showing the truth on his canvases. In addition to single portraits, Titian also took on group works that replaced photographs at that time - such canvases were especially liked by wealthy citizens and the nobility.
Titian, Flight into Egypt A feature of the "Titian" portraits, art historians call careful work with flowers. It was with the help of bright colors, sharp or smooth transitions between shades, light and shadow that Titian achieved the psychologism of his paintings. Each hero of the master's paintings seems to be animated, the artist managed to convey even the fleeting emotions of people. The most outstanding portrait works of Titian are “Portrait of Federico Gonzaga”, “Portrait of the architect Giulio Romano”, “Portrait of Charles V with a dog”, as well as the paintings “Beauty” and “Penitent Magdalene”.
Titian, "Flora" Titian's talent allowed the master to travel a lot: the artist visited many Italian cities. Invitations of noble people who wanted to receive a portrait by Titian became permanent. The master also traveled to other countries. So, in 1545, the artist was honored to paint a portrait of Pope Paul III, and three years later, in 1548, he went to Germany to perpetuate the appearance of Charles V.
There is a legend that while working on a portrait of this monarch, Titian once awkwardly turned around and dropped his brush. Then Emperor Charles V himself bent down to give the brush to the artist and said that he considered it an honor to serve Titian himself.
Titian, "Allegory of Prudence" The mid-1540s is considered the heyday of the artist's mature work. It was at this time that Titian created the masterpieces “Coronation with Thorns”, “Behold the Man”. Also, several different versions of Danae appear from under the master’s brush. Biblical motifs still dominated the artist's works, but the main motive was the beauty of the human body - the way God intended it. Titian managed to convey vitality, emotionality and spiritual beauty in facial features, spiritual poses, frozen gestures. Even the most complex characters are easily read on the canvases of the master.
Titian Vecellio, "Danae" The years 1550-1560 in the work of Titian are marked by the paintings “Allegory of Prudence”, “Portrait of a Man in a Military Costume”, “Girl with a Fan”, mythological subjects of “Venus and Adonis” and “Diana and Actaeon”, as well as the biblical “Penitent Mary Magdalene” and Carrying the Cross. In the same years, the artist also painted a self-portrait, in which he depicted his own image with a brush in his hand.
Titian, Penitent Mary Magdalene (detail) The main feature of the artist’s later paintings is called color chromatism by art critics. Titian attached importance to shades of color, their mixing, smooth or contrasting transitions. With the help of jewelry work with flowers, the master conveyed what he wanted to tell the viewer: the emotions of the people depicted, the weather, the mood of the plot of the paintings. An interesting fact: at the end of his life, Titian tried a new way of applying paint to canvas. The artist abandoned the usual brushes and began to transfer the paint with his hands and a spatula. Such strokes lay unevenly, in some places a blank canvas remained visible, but this technique helped the master to create paintings full of drama and emotion.
Titian, "Venus of Urbino" The most famous creations of that period were "The Entombment", "Venus Blindfolding Cupid", "Coronation with Thorns" and, of course, "Pieta". The last named picture was also the last work in the life of the great painter. The composition and play of color that Titian demonstrated on this canvas is still held up as an example of the painting of the "Titian" era. Unfortunately, "Pieta" remained unfinished due to the death of the artist.
Little is known about Titian's personal life. The artist was married, the wife of the master was named Cecilia Soldano. The woman gave her beloved two sons and two daughters. Unfortunately, during the fourth birth, in 1530, Cecilia died.
The plague that raged at that time in Europe did not spare anyone. In 1576, the "terrible plague" took the life of his son Titian. Soon the master realized that he himself contracted this disease while caring for his son. August 27, 1576 the artist died. It is believed that the masters were found on the floor of the workshop with a brush clutched in his hand.
Titian, self-portrait Despite the law that ordered the bodies of those who died from the plague to be burned, Titian was buried in the ground. The artist's grave is located in the Cathedral of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, in his native Venice. The inscription is immortalized on the tombstone: "Here lies the great Titian Vecellio - the rival of Zeus and Apelles."
The artist's works greatly influenced the work of subsequent generations of European masters. The unusualness of his late technique did not resonate with his contemporaries, but later became popular in many art schools for decades.
The Austrian writer Hugo von Hofmannsthal was so inspired by the master's works that he wrote a play called The Death of Titian. In addition, the painting “Caesar's Denarius” was also reflected in literature, under the impression of which Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote a chapter in the novel “The Brothers Karamazov”.
Titian (c. 1480 - 1576), Italian painter of the High and Late Renaissance. He studied in Venice with Giovanni Bellini, in whose workshop he became close to Giorgione; worked in Venice, as well as in Padua, Urbino, Rome. Closely associated with the Venetian artistic circles, Titian embodied in his work the humanistic ideals of the Renaissance. His life-affirming art is distinguished by its versatility, breadth of coverage of reality, and disclosure of the deep dramatic conflicts of the era. Interest in the landscape, poetry, lyrical contemplation, subtle coloring make Titian's early works related to the work of Giorgione; the artist began to develop an independent style by the mid-1510s, after becoming acquainted with the works of Raphael and Michelangelo. Calm and joyful images of his paintings are marked during this period by vital plethora, brightness of feelings, inner enlightenment (“Love earthly and heavenly”, “Flora”, “Denarius of Caesar”).
The new period of Titian's work (late 1510s - 1530s) is associated with the social and cultural upsurge of Venice, which in this era became one of the main strongholds of humanism and urban freedoms in Italy. At this time, Titian created monumental altar images filled with majestic pathos (“Ascension of Mary”, a church in Venice), the composition of which is permeated with movement; paintings on gospel and mythological themes (“The Feast of Venus”, “The Entombment”, “Venus of Urbinsky”), marked by a sonorous color based on intense contrasts of blue and red color spots, rich architectural backgrounds, in which the artist included small genre scenes and household items.
The 1540s are the heyday of Titian's portrait art. Coolly drew character traits (“Ippolito Medici”, “La Bella”). The late religious canvases of Titian, full of deep tragedy, are characterized by integrity of characters, stoic courage (“Penitent Mary Magdalene”, 1560s, “Lamentation of Christ”, 1573-1576).
In the late period of his work, Titian reached the heights both in his pictorial skill and in the emotional and psychological interpretation of religious and mythological themes. (P.: “Danaë”, “Venus and Adonis”, “Venus in front of a mirror”).
The painting technique of Titian had an exceptional influence on the further development of world fine arts, up to the 20th century.
Hieronymus Bosch (real name - Jeroen van Aken; around 1450, 's-Hertogenbosch (Netherlands) - August 9, 1516, ibid) - a Dutch artist, one of the largest masters of the Northern Renaissance.
In 2004, according to a poll in the Netherlands, Hieronymus Bosch was ranked 63rd in the list of the great Dutch. In Bosch's hometown of 's-Hertogenbosch, a Bosch creative center has been opened, which presents copies of his works.
Hieronymus, the son of the painter Anthony van Aken, was actually the name of the master, who is considered the most mysterious painter in the entire history of Western art. He preferred to sign his paintings with the abbreviated name of his hometown of 's-Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch), which at the time of Bosch was part of the Duchy of Burgundy, and is now the administrative center of the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands.
The van Aken family, which originated from the German city of Aachen, has long been associated with the pictorial craft: Jan van Aken (Bosch's grandfather) and four of his five sons, including Jerome's father, Antony, who shortly before his death handed over the workshop to his son Gossen, were artists. Since nothing is known about Bosch's development as an artist, it is assumed that he received his first painting lessons in the family workshop. The van Akens' workshop carried out a wide variety of orders - first of all, these were wall paintings, but also gilding wooden sculptures and even making church utensils. So "Hieronymus the painter", as he was first mentioned in a document of 1480, took a pseudonym, apparently from the need to somehow separate himself from other representatives of his kind. Such cases in the Netherlands were not uncommon.
Bosch lived and worked mainly in his native 's-Hertogenbosch. Information about the life of the master has been preserved in the city archive. In 1478 his father dies, and Bosch inherits his art workshop. Around 1480, he married Aleith Goyarts van den Merwen, a girl from a local, rich and noble family. Her considerable personal wealth was placed at the disposal of Bosch. Thanks to this marriage, Bosch gained access to the vicious circle of the local aristocracy. He also joined the Brotherhood of Our Lady, a religious society that arose in 's-Hertogenbosch in 1318 and consisted of both monks and laymen.
The Brotherhood, dedicated to the cult of the Virgin Mary, was also engaged in works of mercy. Bosch's name is mentioned several times in archival documents: as a painter, he was entrusted with various orders, from decorating festive processions and ritual sacraments of the Brotherhood to painting the altar doors for the Brotherhood chapel in St. In the same chapel on August 9, 1516, the painter's funeral was also performed. The solemnity of this ceremony confirms Bosch's closest connection with the Brotherhood of Our Lady.
Bosch's art has always had a tremendous attraction. Previously, it was believed that the "devilry" in the paintings of Bosch was intended only to amuse the audience, tickle their nerves, like those grotesque figures that the masters of the Italian Renaissance wove into their ornaments. Modern scientists have come to the conclusion that Bosch's work has a much deeper meaning, and have made many attempts to explain its meaning, find its origins, and give it an interpretation. Some consider Bosch to be something like a surrealist of the 15th century, who extracted his unprecedented images from the depths of the subconscious, and, calling his name, invariably recall Salvador Dali. Others believe that Bosch's art reflects medieval "esoteric disciplines" - alchemy, astrology, black magic. Still others try to connect the artist with various religious heresies that existed in that era. According to Frenger, Bosch was a member of the Brotherhood of the Free Spirit, also called the Adamites, a heretical sect that arose in the thirteenth century but flourished throughout Europe several centuries later.
Based on the results of modern studies of Bosch's work, art historians attribute 25 paintings and 8 drawings to the surviving heritage of Hieronymus Bosch. Pictures are triptychs, fragments of triptychs and separate, independent pictures. Only 7 creations of Bosch are signed.
Bosch customers
In addition to paintings for the chapel of the Brotherhood of Our Lady and other assignments of the Brotherhood, Bosch carried out other orders. Among those who ordered his paintings, there are such eminent families as Hoss and Berg, the most influential families in 's-Hertogenbosch. But Bosch was soon recognized outside the city community.
In September 1504, the artist received an advance payment of 36 pounds for "The Judgment of God seated in Paradise and Hell", as indicated in the document, an order made to him by one of the Habsburgs - the ruler of the Netherlands and King of Castile Philip I the Handsome. The Viennese triptych "Last Judgment", with which this order is identified, however, has other dimensions than those indicated in the contract.
Ambiguities also arise in connection with the image of St. Anthony, commissioned by Bosch in 1516 by Margaret of Austria, the sister of Philip I, who became the viceroy of the Netherlands after his death: the famous Lisbon triptych “The Temptation of St. Anthony", located in the castle of Ayuda, was bought and taken to Portugal in the first half of the 16th century.
By 1521, no less than three works by the master were in the collection of such an influential patron as the Venetian Cardinal Domenico Grimani.
For Bosch's contemporaries, his paintings had much more meaning than for a modern viewer. Medieval people received the necessary explanations for the plots from the various symbols that abound in Bosch's paintings. The meaning of many symbols has already been irretrievably lost, the symbols changed their meaning depending on the context, they were interpreted differently in different sources - from mystical treatises to practical magic, from folklore to ritual representations. Over the past five centuries, the ambiguity of Bosch's symbolism has allowed researchers and admirers of his work to attribute the artist to a variety of religious and philosophical movements.
A significant number of Bosch's symbols are alchemical. Alchemy in the late Middle Ages was a kind of cultural phenomenon, clearly bordering on heresy, a fantastic version of chemistry. Its adherents sought to transform ("transmutation") base metals into gold and silver with the help of an imaginary substance - the "philosopher's stone". Bosch gives alchemy negative, demonic features. Attributes of alchemy are often used by him as symbols of lust: the image of copulation is often accompanied by glass flasks or balls, love games in water are also a hint of alchemical compounds. The alchemical stages of transformation are encrypted in color transitions; jagged towers, trees hollow inside, fires, being symbols of Hell, at the same time allude to fire in the experiments of alchemists; a hermetic vessel or a melting furnace are also emblems of black magic and the devil. In addition to alchemy, “voluptuous fruits” provide symbols of lust: cherries, grapes, pomegranates, strawberries, apples. Sexual symbols are also easy to recognize: men's are all pointed objects: a horn, an arrow, a bagpipe, often hinting at an unnatural sin; female - everything that absorbs: a circle, a bubble, a clam shell, a jug (also denoting the devil who jumps out of it during the Sabbath), a crescent moon (also hinting at Islam, which means, from Bosch's point of view, heresy) .
Bosch also uses the symbolism of the bestiary - "unclean" animals, generally accepted in the Middle Ages: in his paintings there are a camel, a hare, a pig, a horse, a stork and many others. The toad, in alchemy denoting sulfur, is a symbol of the devil and death, like everything dry - trees, animal skeletons.
Other common symbols:
stairs - the path to knowledge in alchemy or symbolizing sexual intercourse;
an inverted funnel is an attribute of fraud or false wisdom;
key - (knowledge or sexual organ), often in shape not intended to be opened;
a severed leg, traditionally associated with mutilation or torture, and in Bosch also associated with heresy and magic;
arrow - thus symbolizes "Evil". Sometimes it sticks out across the hat, sometimes it pierces bodies, sometimes it is even stuck in the anus of a half-naked person (which also means a hint of "Corruption");
owl - in Christian paintings can be interpreted not in the ancient mythological sense (as a symbol of wisdom). Bosch portrayed an owl in many of his paintings, he sometimes brought it in contexts to persons who behaved insidiously or indulged in mortal sin. Therefore, it is generally accepted that the owl serves evil as a night bird and predator and symbolizes stupidity, spiritual blindness and the ruthlessness of everything earthly.
In the middle of the 16th century, several decades after Bosch's death, a broad movement began to revive the bizarre creations of the Dutch painter's fantasy. This surge of interest in Bosch motifs, which explains the popularity of the work of Pieter Brueghel the Elder, was reinforced by the widespread use of engraving. This hobby lasted for several decades. The success of engravings based on Bosch's "evil spirits" immediately brought to life all sorts of imitations and replicas (up to deliberate fakes). All these images were at least partially sustained in the spirit of Bosch - with an abundance of wonderful and monstrous creatures. Of particular success were engravings illustrating proverbs and scenes from folk life. Even Pieter Brueghel deliberately used Bosch's name for commercial purposes, "signing" engravings based on the master's drawings, which immediately increased their value.
Titian Vecellio (Pieve di Cadore, c. 1485/1490 - Venice, 1576) was a key figure in the development of Venetian and European painting. A great colorist, he brought out the possibilities of writing "with all color" to the utmost, creating a language that would then influence Tintoretto and other major European masters such as Rembrandt, Rubens and El Greco.
At the age of ten, Titian went to Venice and there devoted himself to the study of painting. His teachers are called the mosaicist Zuccato, Gentile and Giovanni Bellini. He had a significant influence on the development of Titian Giorgione, with whom he performed together around 1507 in the Venetian church of Fondaco dei Tedeschi the now-dead frescoes (the earliest known work by Titian). One of the earliest and most perfect works of Titian, "Christ with a Denarius" (Dresden), is remarkable in terms of the depth of its psychological characteristics, the subtlety of execution and brilliant coloring.
Titian. Christ with a denarius (Denarius of Caesar). 1516
In his first works, Titian develops a "painting of tone" ("Don't Touch Me", National Gallery, London; a series of female half-figures such as Flora, c. 1515, Uffizi Gallery, Florence), while showing interest in the painting of Andrea Mantegna, Albrecht Dürer and Raphael, increasingly focusing on expressive realism, which was a fundamental innovation for the Venetian school and the entire culture of the Serenissima (frescoes of the scuola of St. Anthony in Padua, 1511; a series of portraits, including Ariosto, National Gallery, London; first woodcuts).
Titian. Woman in front of a mirror. OK. 1514
Titian. Love earthly and heavenly. 1514
This trend found its final expression in Titian’s painting “Love on Earth and Heaven” (1515, Borghese Gallery, Rome) and the monumental altarpiece “Assunta” (“Assumption of the Virgin and Taking Her to Heaven”, 1518, Church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice). "Assunta" - a masterpiece of religious painting by Titian. The miraculously enlightened face of the Mother of God, ascending in height, the delight and animation of the apostles gathered at the tomb, the majestic composition, the extraordinary brilliance of colors - all together make up a powerful solemn chord that makes an irresistible impression.
Titian. Assumption of the Virgin (Assunta). 1516-1518
In subsequent years, Titian began to fulfill orders from some Italian courts (Ferrara, from 1519; Mantua, from 1523; Urbino, from 1532) and Emperor Charles V (from 1530), creating mythological and allegorical scenes: for example, Venus of Urbina (1538, Uffizi Gallery , Florence).
Titian. Venus Urbinskaya. Before 1538
How originally Titian developed ancient subjects is shown by his paintings " Diana and Callisto "and especially - full of life" Bacchanalia"(Madrid)," Bacchus and Ariadne"(National Gallery, London).
Titian. Bacchus and Ariadne. 1520-1522
To what high perfection the skill of depicting a naked body was brought, can be judged by the numerous “Venuses” (the best in Florence, in the Uffizi) and “Danaes”, striking with the bulge of forms and the power of color.
Titian. Bacchanalia. 1523-1524
Even allegorical images Titian was able to give a noble vitality and beauty. Titian's "Three Ages" belong to excellent examples of this kind of painting.
His female portraits are also excellent: "Flora" (Uffizi, Florence), "Beauty" ("La bella") (Pitti, Florence), a portrait of Titian's daughter Lavinia.
Titian. Flora. 1515-1520
The desire for realism in the depicted event makes itself felt in several of Titian's altarpieces, including Pesaro Altarpiece(1519 - 1526, Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice), where exceptional mastery of composition was demonstrated.
Titian. Madonna with Saints and Members of the Pesaro Family (Pesaro Altarpiece). 1519-1526
Titian uses the theme of the Holy Interview here, however, he places the figures not frontally to the image plane (as, for example, in Giorgione in the Altar of Castelfranco), but diagonally at different levels: a group of the Madonna and Child at the top right, a group with a hero worshiping her at the bottom left and kneeling members of the customer family (the Pesaro family) at the bottom right in the foreground.
Finally, Titian is of great importance as a landscape painter. The landscape plays a prominent role in many of his paintings. Titian excellently depicts the strict, simple and majestic beauty of nature.
For independent artistic development, Titian's whole life was extremely successful: he did not live in a closed narrow circle, but in wide communication with scientists and poets of that time and was a welcome guest of the rulers of the world and noble people, as the first portrait painter. Pietro Aretino, Ariosto, Duke of Ferrara Alfonso, Duke of Mantua Federigo, Emperor Charles V, who made Titian his court painter, Pope Paul III, were his friends and patrons. During a long and extremely active life, with the versatility of talent, Titian created a wide variety of works, especially in the last 40 years, when numerous students helped him. Yielding in ideality and spirituality to Raphael and Michelangelo, Titian is equal to the first in a sense of beauty, and the second in the dramatic vitality of the composition and surpasses both in the power of painting. Titian possessed an enviable ability to convey the magnificent charm of color, to give extraordinary life to the color of a naked body. Therefore, Titian is considered the greatest of the Italian colorists.
This wonderful brilliance of color is inextricably linked with the brilliance of the joyful consciousness of existence, which pervades all the paintings of Titian. Negligence and luxury, a sense of jubilation and a balanced full of light bliss breathe his dignitaries and important figures of the Venetians. Even in Titian's religious paintings, what strikes one first of all is the equanimity of pure being, the absolute harmony of feelings and the inviolable integrity of the spirit, which evokes an impression similar to that of the antiques.
In his earliest works, Titian clearly adheres to the style of Bellini, which he sustains with particular force and from which he completely frees himself in his mature works. In the later ones, Titian introduces greater mobility of figures, greater passion in the expression of faces, and greater vigor in the interpretation of the plot. The period after 1540, marked by a trip to Rome (1545 - 1546), became a turning point in the work of Titian: he turned to a new type of figurative image, trying to fill it with increased drama and intensity of feelings. Such is the picture esseHomo(1543, Museum of the History of Art, Vienna) and a group portrait PavelIII with nephews Alessandro and Ottavio(1546, National Gallery and Museum of Capodimonte, Naples).
Titian. Ecce homo ("Behold the man"). 1543
In 1548, summoned by the emperor, Titian went to Augsburg, where the imperial diet was then held; his equestrian portrait CharlesV inBattle of Muhlberg and front portrait PhilipII(Prado, Madrid) brought him the status of the first artist of the Habsburg court.
Titian. Equestrian portrait of Emperor Charles V on the field of the Battle of Mühlberg. 1548
He continued to create paintings of erotic-mythological content, such as Venus with organist, cupid and dog or Danae(Several variants).
The depth of psychological penetration also characterizes the new portraits of Titian: these are Clarissa Strozzi at the age of five(1542, State Museums, Berlin), Young man with blue eyes also known as Young Englishman(Palazzo Pitta, Florence).
Titian. Portrait of a young Englishman (Portrait of an unknown person with gray eyes). OK. 1540-1545
In Venice, Titian's activity was concentrated primarily in the field of religious painting: he painted altarpieces, such as Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence(1559, Jesuit church).
Titian. Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence. 1559
Among his latest masterpieces are Annunciation(San Salvatore, Venice), Tarquinius and Lucretia(Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna), Crowning with thorns (Bavarian art collections, Munich), which mark Titian's clear transition to the mannerist stage. The great artist really brings painting “with all color” to its logical conclusion, creating a language that allows experimenting with new, deeply expressive means.
Titian. Annunciation. 1562-1564
This approach had a strong influence on Tintoretto, Rembrandt, Rubens, El Greco and some other major masters of the time.
Titian's last painting, not quite finished after death, was "Pietà" (Academy, Venice), denouncing the already trembling hand of a 90-year-old man, but in composition, color and drama, it is remarkable to a high degree. Titian died of the plague at the age of about 90 in Venice on August 27, 1576 and was buried in the church of Santa Maria dei Frari.
In terms of tirelessness and vitality of genius, Titian has only rival Michelangelo, next to whom he stood for two-thirds of the 16th century. What Raphael was to Rome, Michelangelo to Florence, Leonardo da Vinci to Milan, Titian was to Venice. He not only completed in a number of major works the cumulative efforts of previous generations of the Venetian school, but also brilliantly opens a new era. Its beneficial influence covers not only Italy, but spreads throughout Europe. The Dutch - Rubens and Van Dyck, the French - Poussin and Watteau, the Spaniards - Velasquez and Murillo, the British - Reynolds and Gainsborough owe Titian as much as the Italians Tintoretto, Tiepolo and Paolo Veronese.
Titian (actually Tiziano Vecellio, Tiziano Veccellio) (circa 1488/1490 - 1576), Italian painter of the High and Late Renaissance. He studied in Venice with Giovanni Bellini, in whose workshop he became close to Giorgione; worked in Venice, as well as in Padua, Ferrara, Mantua, Urbino, Rome and Augsburg. Closely associated with the artistic circles of Venice (Giorgione, architect Jacopo Sansovino, writer Pietro Aretino), an outstanding master of the Venetian school of painting, Titian embodied in his work the humanistic ideals of the Renaissance. His life-affirming art is distinguished by its versatility, breadth of coverage of reality, and disclosure of the deep dramatic conflicts of the era. Interest in the landscape, poetry, lyrical contemplation, subtle coloring make Titian's early works (the so-called “Gypsy Madonna”, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna; “Christ and the Sinner”, Art Gallery, Glasgow) related to the work of Giorgione; the artist began to develop an independent style by the mid-1510s, after becoming acquainted with the works of Raphael and Michelangelo. The calm and joyful images of his paintings are marked during this period by the vitality, brightness of feelings, inner enlightenment, the major color is built on the consonance of deep, pure colors (“Love on earth and heaven”, about 1514-1516, Borghese Gallery, Rome; “Flora”, about 1515, Uffizi; “Denarius of Caesar”, 1518, Art Gallery, Dresden). Then Titian painted several portraits, strict and calm in composition, and subtly psychological (“Young Man with a Glove”, Louvre, Paris; “Portrait of a Man”, National Gallery, London). The new period of Titian's work (late 1510s - 1530s) is associated with the social and cultural upsurge of Venice, which in this era became one of the main strongholds of humanism and urban freedoms in Italy.
"Venus of Urbino" 1538 Uffizi Gallery, Florence
"Venus and Adonis" 1550s Getty Museum, Los Angeles.
"Violante (Beauty Gatta)" 1514 Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
"Penitent Mary Magdalene" 1560s, Hermitage, St. Petersburg
"Bacchanalia" 1524 Prado Museum, Madrid
"Diana and Actaeon" 1556 Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh
At this time, Titian created monumental altarpieces filled with majestic pathos (“The Assumption of Mary”, circa 1516-1518, the church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice), the composition of which is permeated with movement, paintings on evangelical and mythological themes (“The Feast of Venus”, 1518, Prado, Madrid; Entombment, 1520s, Louvre; Entry into the Temple, 1538, Accademia Gallery, Venice; Venus of Urbino, 1538, Uffizi), marked by a sonorous, based on intense contrasts of blue and red spots of color, rich architectural backgrounds, in which the artist included small genre scenes and everyday details. The end of the 1530s is the heyday of Titian's portrait art. With amazing insight, the artist portrayed his contemporaries, capturing various, sometimes contradictory traits of their characters: hypocrisy and suspicion, confidence and dignity (“Ippolito Medici”, 1532, “La Bella”, 1538, all in the Palatina Gallery, Florence). The late religious canvases of Titian, filled with deep tragedy, are characterized by integrity of characters, stoic courage (“Penitent Mary Magdalene”, 1560s, Hermitage, St. Petersburg; “Coronation with Thorns”, 1570s, Alte Pinakothek, Munich; “Lamentation of Christ” , 1575, and "Pieta", 1576, both - Accademia Gallery, Venice). The colors of Titian's later works are based on the finest colorful chromatism: the color scheme, generally subordinate to a golden tone, is built on subtle shades of brown, blue-steel, pink-red, faded green.
"Worldly love" (Vanity of the earthly) 1515
"Young man with a torn glove" 1515-1520
"Flora" 1515
"Francesco della Rovere" 1538
"Portrait of a young woman" 1536
In the late period of his work, Titian reached the heights both in his pictorial skill and in the emotional and psychological interpretation of religious and mythological themes. The life-affirming beauty of the human body, the fullness of the surrounding world became the leading motif of the artist’s works with scenes drawn from ancient mythology (“Danae”, around 1554, Prado, Madrid and the Hermitage, St. Petersburg; “Venus in front of a mirror”, 1550s, National Gallery of Art, Washington; "Diana and Actaeon", 1556, and "Diana and Callisto", 1556-1559,
both paintings in the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh).
"Love earthly and heavenly" 1515
"Portrait of Pietro Aretino" 1545
"Portrait of Charles V" 1548
"Danaë" from the Museum of Naples
"Danae" Ok. 1554 Hermitage
"Danae" 1554 from the Prado
"Sisyphus" 1549
"Venus with a Mirror" 1555
The artist's style of writing becomes exceptionally free, composition, form and color are built with the help of bold plastic modeling, paints are applied to the canvas not only with a brush, but also with a spatula and even with fingers. Transparent glazes do not hide the underpainting, but in places expose the grainy texture of the canvas. From a combination of flexible strokes, images are born full of quivering vitality and drama.
In the 1550s, the nature of Titian's work changes, the dramatic beginning grows in his religious compositions (“The Martyrdom of St. Lawrence”, 1555, the Church of the Gesuiti, Venice; “The Entombment”, 1559, Prado). At the same time, he again turns to the mythological theme, the motif of blooming female beauty (“Sisyphus”, 1549-1550; “Danae”, 1554; “Venus and Adonis”, 1554, all - Prado, Madrid; “Perseus and Andromeda”, 1556, Wallace Collection, London). The bitterly weeping Mary Magdalene in the canvas of the same name is also close to these images.
"Ascension of Mary" (Assunta)" 1518
"Tarquinius and Lucretia" 1568-1571
"The Entombment" 1524-1526
"Saint Sebastian" 1570
"Lamentation of Christ" 1576
A significant turning point in the artist's work occurs at the turn of the 1550-1560s. The world is full of dynamics, confusion, strong outbursts of passion in a series of mythological compositions based on the subjects of Ovid's Metamorphoses, written by Titian for Philip II: Diana and Actaeon and Diana and Callisto (1559, National Gallery, Edinburgh), Rape of Europa ” (1562, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston), “Diana's Hunt” (circa 1565, National Gallery, London). In these canvases, imbued with rapid movement and vibration of color, there is already an element of the so-called “late manner”, characteristic of the latest works of Titian (“Saint Sebastian”, 1565-1570, Hermitage; “Shepherd and Nymph”, 1570, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna; "Punishment of Marsyas", 1570s, Art Gallery, Kroměříž; "Lamentation of Christ", 1576, Academy Gallery, Venice).
"Madonna of the Pesaro family" 1519-1526
"Bacchus and Ariadne" 1522
"Entering the Temple" 1534-1538
"Pope Paul III with the grandchildren of Farnese" 1546
"Allegory of Time Ruled by Reason" 1565
These canvases are distinguished by a complex pictorial structure, blurring of the border between forms and background; the surface of the canvas is, as it were, woven from strokes applied with a wide brush, sometimes rubbed with fingers. Shades of complementary, interpenetrating or contrasting tones form a kind of unity from which forms or muted shimmering colors are born.
The innovation of the "late manner" was not understood by contemporaries and was appreciated only at a later time.
The art of Titian, which most fully revealed the originality of the Venetian school, had a great influence on the formation of the largest artists of the 17th century from Rubens and Velazquez to Poussin. The painting technique of Titian had an exceptional influence on the further, up to the 20th century, the development of world fine arts.
"Girl with a basket of fruit" 1555-1558
"Portrait of Pope Julius II" 1545-1546
"Madonna and Child with Saints" 1530
"The Entombment"
"Cherry Madonna" 1515
"Madonna and Child with Saint Catherine and a Rabbit" 1530
"Carrying the Cross" 1506-1507
"The Coronation of Jesus with a Crown of Thorns" 1572-1576
"La Bella" 1535
"Saint John the Baptist in hermitage" 1542
"Annunciation of the Madonna" Part of the polyptych "The Resurrection of Christ", 1520
"Christ the Savior"
"The Flagellation of Christ" 1560
"Miracle at Emmaus" 1530
"Noli me tangere - "Do not touch me" 1511-1512
"Annunciation" 1535
"Adam and Eve" 1550
"The Capture of Jesus Christ" 1570-1575
"Crucifixion" 1555
"The Coronation of Christ with a Crown of Thorns" 1542
"Mother of Doloros" 1553-1554
"Adoration of the Magi"
"Crucifixion" 1558
"Christ and the Thief at Calvary" 1566
"Madonna and Child" 1545
"Portrait of a man in a dress with blue sleeves" 1510
"Madonna Gypsy" 1511
"Madonna and Child" 1565-70
"Portrait of Jacobo Strada" 1567-1568
"Portrait of a Slav" 1508-1510
"Madonna and Child in an Evening Landscape" 1562-1565
"Cardinal Alessandro Farnese" 1545-1546
"Portrait of a musician" 1515 or 1545
"Portrait of Clarissa Strozzi with a dog" 1542
"Portrait of Tomaso Vincenzo Mosti" 1526
"Portrait of Federigo II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua" 1529
"Suicide of Lucretia" 1515
"Portrait of the Inquisitor, Doge Andrea Gritti" 1545
"The Abduction of Europe" 1559-1562
"Ecce Homo "Behold the man" 1548
"Portrait of Titian's daughter Lavinia"
"The Resurrection of Christ" 1520-1522
"The Resurrection of Jesus Christ" 1542-1544
"Christ and the Sinner" 1508-1510
"Denarius of Caesar" 1516
"Christ Carrying the Cross" 1570-1575
"Archangel Gabriel, Altar of Alberodi"
"Three Ages of a Man" 1512
"Annunciation" 1562-1565
"Venus blindfolding Cupid" 1565
"Titian. Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence" 1567
"Portrait of a lady in white" 1555
"Judith with the Head of Holofernes" 1515
"Portrait of a man in a red hat" 1516
"Saint Jerome" 1570-1575
"Trinity in Glory" 1552-1554
"Portrait of Philip II in armor" 1550-1551
"Portrait of Pope Paul III" 1545-1546
"Saint Mary Magdalene" 1532
"Christ the Almighty" Hermitage
"Tityus" 1548-1549
"Saint Sebastian. Right wing of the polyptych "The Resurrection of Christ" 1520
"Self-portrait of Titian" 1550-1562
Titian Vecellio (1488 / 1499-1576) - the great and "divine" painter of the Venetian school of the High and Late Renaissance. During his long life, he created about 300 works - portraits and canvases with mythological and biblical subjects. The paintings of Titian as an unsurpassed colorist and deep psychologist had a strong influence on Western European and Russian artists.
By the age of 27, he was already considered the best painter in Venice. Titian's paintings of this period are characterized by monumentality, which is filled with pathos and dynamics. The images he created are powerful. The composition, as a rule, is diagonal and is riddled with rapid movement. Color - contrast. The artist resorts to the use of blue ultramarine and rich sparkling scarlet cinnabar. Later, he will come to the conclusion that only three colors are enough for a painter: white, red and black. This will be reflected in his self-portraits.
The painter is dressed in simple and expensive clothes. The canvas is built in rich black and brown with small blotches of white around the face. The viewer immediately draws attention to his high forehead, aquiline with a hump, a sharp nose, deep-set eyes and a long beard. This is an imperious self-confident person who is aware of how others perceive him (with admiration for his talent). He feels independent. Only the brush that the man holds in his right hand indicates his occupation. This is what influenced the creation of self-portraits with a brush by Velasquez and Goya and a chain of similar self-portraits by many subsequent artists.
The expression of the style of the early works of the young and bold painter, who painted without regard to the works of the geniuses of the Renaissance, are the paintings of Titian: “Ascension of Our Lady”, “Man with a Glove” and especially “Pesaro Madonna”.
In it, he broke with the centuries-old tradition of placing the figure of the Madonna in the center. She completes the diagonal on the right, towering on a symbolic staircase leading to heaven, above a kneeling figure in blue St. Peter. Next to her is in the rags of St. Francis of Assisi, who points to the pious family of the customer Jacopo Pesaro, who stands before the Madonna with the baby on her knees. Diagonal Madonna - Peter is pumped in the left corner by a knight who holds a scarlet banner over the turbaned Saracens conquered by Jacopo. The columns on the sides of the picture draw the eye to heaven, where angels frolic in the clouds and hold a cross. The baby turns playfully in Mary's arms and looks at St. Francis. This is the work of an innovator.
In the 1930s, the painter worked a lot on portraits. At this time, Titian's paintings are marked by deep psychologism. It is revealed through the amazing ability of the artist to use the color solution. It consists of the finest elegant nuances of leading and subordinate colors.
The emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in the portrait is strikingly natural. The canvas is decided in golden chestnut tones. A powerful figure of the emperor is pushed forward from the dark background.
His bright clothes with puffy sleeves are embroidered with gold. The color of the dog's coat is in subtle harmony with the attire of Charles V. Titian, in order to emphasize his imperious personality more convincingly, chose a view from below, focusing on the emperor's height. To enhance this effect, the artist limited the entire surrounding space. The face of the knight, which was the emperor who spent more than one war, bears the imprint of the future abdication and departure to the monastery, as if the artist was able to look many years ahead.
The artist painted women's portraits a lot and willingly. Titian's paintings not only penetrate deeply into psychology, but also demonstrate female beauty. One of his works is called so: "Beauty" (1536). At the same time, he wrote "Portrait of Isabella d'Este", the daughter of the Duke of Ferrara, a very ambitious and high-ranking person.
The vain lady demanded that the artist brighten her eyes and paint her more attractive than she really was. The artist had to take a diplomatic approach to work on the portrait. He concentrated on her high position, cultural sophistication, strong character and intelligence.
"Danae" - a painting by Titian, was repeatedly painted by the artist. From the encroachments of Zeus, the beauty was hidden in the chambers, but the god, having taken the form of a golden rain, penetrated to her. They had a son, Perseus. One of the most harmonious works is exhibited in our Hermitage. Other paintings by Titian on this subject are in European museums. The face of Zeus against the background of the pouring golden rain is barely visible. The old woman who looks after the girl tries to protect her with her apron and collect gold in it. Tenderness, youth and beauty of Danae are opposed by ugly old age and self-interest.
This canvas is also called "Venus in front of a mirror." Titian's painting was so dear to the artist's heart that he did not sell it. After the death of the painter, his son broke up with her, and she ended up in the Hermitage collection. In 1931 our government sold it to the USA. It is now on display in Washington DC. V. Surikov believed that this was the best work of Titian.
In the picture sits a half-naked beautiful goddess. She looks in the mirror, which is held by her constant companions - cupids. Venus and the viewer see in it a reflection of a gentle blush, snow-white skin, golden hair, pearl earrings.
So called contemporaries of Titian. He worked with the same perfection on portraits, landscape backgrounds, mythological and religious subjects. For a long life in art, the artistic style of the master changed radically. However, Titian retained his interest in color for the rest of his life. Description of the paintings, their viewing suggests that his mature works do not contain bright luminous shades. Their free strokes, sophistication of tone are without precedent in the history of painting. Paintings by Titian with the titles "Portrait of a young woman in a hat with a feather", "Penitent Mary Magdalene", "Carrying the Cross", "St. Sebastian" and "Danae" are exhibited in the Hermitage.
