Titian's Venus with a Mirror and Two Cupids

Titian, Venus with a Mirror and Two Cupids, 1555, oil on canvas, 124.5 x 105.5 cm.

Is not this just the most beautiful, decedent, luxurious thing your eyes have ever laid upon? It is thought that Titian loved this so much that he could not part with it and kept the original for himself, and for his visitors to admire. Many variations and copies were made by himself and his workshop. While Peter Humfrey, the author of my research text Titian, hardly touches on his painting, I wanted to discuss it because it is the sort of painting that captivates its viewer; a timeless beauty. 

I find that Venus has a very similar hair style to Diana from the previous paintings which I have discussed, Diana and Callisto and Diana and Diana and Actaeon. Although she is bedecked in jewels her skin seems to outshine them, and the ruby red jewel tones of her lips is reflected in her embroidered velvet cloak, which is barely covering her. 

Titian's use of color, contrasting red with dark shadings of green, and the rich textures of silks, jewels, velvet and furs create a very real and tangible setting for the senses which engages the viewer. Venus gazes into the mirror which two cupids are holding, and she seems to be gazing at herself as if somewhat surprised and modest about her beauty.

For one of Titian's later paintings Venus is very luminescent, much more reminiscent of his Venus of Urbino. However, the expressive strokes with which he rendered the material objects around her created a vivid atmosphere, in which his later style served him greatly. This can be seen in the bottom left corner of her velvet cloak, the roughness and painterly style of the strokes lend authenticity to the texture of the fabric. This is perhaps one of the most luxurious depictions of the goddess Venus that I have seen thus far, and it is entirely unique in that it does not simply focus on her body, but also compares her beauty to the most precious of materials and stones, and she entirely outshines every one of those objects.

Titian's Last Painting - The Pieta

Pieta, 1570- 1576, oil on canvas, 378 x 347 cm.

Towards the end of Titian's life he began to paint Pieta for the church of the Frari, where he wished to be buried. In the bottom right hand corner the viewer can see the painter himself and his son Orazio kneeling before Mary and Christ, in a small devotional tablet. However, upon examining the canvas it has been found that it is indeed made from several canvases, patched together as the composition evolved around the Virgin and Christ. But the evolution never came to be fully realized, as Titian and his son Orazio both died in an outbreak of the plague in August of 1576. 

The painting then passed into the hands of Palma Giovane who completed what Titian had left undone. It is speculated that really the only part which Palma worked on was the flying angel in the top right hand corner, as the rest of the painting is highly reminiscent of Titian's Death of Actaeon and its muted color pallet.  It is also thought that Titian was trying to show is humble awe and love for the sacrifice that Christ made by including some of his personal facial features into the kneeling Saint Jerome.

While Titian obviously knew his time to meet the Lord was coming, he was still cut short by the plague, of which few realized he actually had and attributed his death to fever instead. In the chaos of the outbreak there was not time or the organization to afford Titian and his son the funeral of a great renaissance painter, like Michelangelo had. Indeed, his grave was only marked by a simple tile in the Frari church until  half way through the nineteenth century. With no one left to defend their house or works of art, fellow artists helped themselves to the contents of Titian's home. 

Titian and Workshop Reproductions

Titian and Workshop, Diana and Callisto, 1560-1565

As a major high renaissance painter Titian had quite a lengthy process between sketching, preparing a canvas, and the actual finished product. This process would have left a whole lot of by product for his workshop and apprentices to work from, and Titian was not opposed to reproduction and interpretations of his previous accomplishments. Diana and Callisto  is a good example of this, most notably the differences between the original and the reproduction above is the fountain which has gained significant height, the shortened depth of field, and the added clothing to the figures. 

There is no telling exactly how much of a hand Titian had in all of these reproductions, at times they seem very true to his style, and others merely based upon his concept and composition. It is frequently possible to find various forms of brushwork on the canvas, and it appears that Titian would leave the majority of the reproduction to his workshop in the intermediate layers, and then work on the upper layers himself.  

Titian did not limit the reproductions of his work to paintings, he frequently turned towards printmaking at the end of his life, apparently for its efficiency in getting his images to the general public and circulated. A wonderful example of this is Adoration of the Trinity (La Gloria) by Cornelis Cort, after Titian in 1566. 

This print, is essentially the mirror image of the original, which was reproduced from Titian's studio, proves that the renaissance artist kept all forms of his preliminary sketches. Otherwise Cornelis Cort would not have had the material to work from in the area that the print was reproduced. Instead of going to see the actual famous painting, many of these reproductions were made from the cartoons and preliminary materials which Titian kept on record not only for his personal use, but also for those who belonged to his workshop. These reproductions serve as proof to his artistic method, despite the actual cartoons having been lost in modern day. 

Diana and Actaeon and Diana and Callisto - Titian

Diana and Actaeon- 1556-1559,Titian, Oil on canvas, 190.3x 207 cm  and Diana and Callisto - 1556-1559, Titian, Oil on canvas, 188 x 206 cm

Of the ten major mythological paintings that Titian created for King Philip of Spain,  Diana and Actaeon, and Diana and Callisto are said to be the most coherent of the pairs. Both of these paintings depict those who have betrayed Diana, the chaste goddess, in some way and the punishment that she bestows upon them. In Diana and Actaeon, Actaeon (the man on the left) stumbles upon Diana bathing. As punishment for laying eyes on her, Diana splashes Actaeon in the face, turning him into a stag for his own hounds to chase and then feast upon. 

In content Diana and Callisto is very similar. As one of Diana's nymphs Callisto also has committed to a life of virtue and chastity. However the god Jupiter wanted to sleep with Callisto, so he disguised himself as Diana, and forced her to betray her vow, thereby impregnating her. When she refused to undress to bathe with the other nymphs, Diana ordered her to undress and reveal her transgressions. Callisto was then expelled from the goddesses company, and turned into a bear in the wilderness. 

When looking at visual similarities, the first thing that might strike the viewer is the composition. Both groupings are nearly the same, and feature water at the base of the canvas, figures in the middle along with sculptural elements, and then landscape in the upper half of the canvas. One difference however, is that Titian enclosed the figures in Diana and Actaeon within a Gothic structure that seems to blend right in with the forest around it, where as in Diana and Callisto there are no architectural elements besides the fountain in the center. Also, both paintings depict the most climatic moment in both myths, that of the discovery. Titian ties to two paintings together by the stag motif. In Diana and Actaeon a stag skull hangs among the trees, a premonition of what is to come for Actaeon; in Diana and Callisto the fountain also features a stag, which references previous punishments executed by Diana. Titian also ties the two paintings together by painting in diagonally slung curtain, which serve almost as a frame, telling the viewer that the two paintings are meant to be viewed together. 

As for the style, Titian's brushwork is highly evident within these two paintings, creating a sense of luxury and wildness to the surrounding nature. This separates this pair from his previous mythological paintings such as Bacchus and Ariadne , where his strokes where much more smooth and created almost gem-like surfaces. These two paintings suggest a wildness, fierceness, and potential decay that its predecessors did not. Which may lead the viewer to questioning Diana, despite her virtuous intent, perhaps she is much too severe. 

The Last Judgement- Discussion 6

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Last Judgement, Michelangelo, 1541, Sistine Chapel 

The three readings on Michelangelo's Last Judgement largely discussed the controversies surrounding its creation, unveiling, and interpretations. The first, entitled "Michelangelo's Last Judgement" discusses much of its creation.In order to prepare a surface, several pre-existing fresco's had to be destroyed, including those of Michelangelo himself and Perugino. The pigment, ultramarine, is also discussed for its expensive origins from the semi-precious stone lapis lazuli.  However the bulk of this article focuses on the choices that Michelangelo had to make when portraying this scene. From which passages would he chose? How would he depict those rising from the dead, versus angels, versus demons? It highlights that the figures were grouped, which was held together with the strength and cohesive use of the ultramarine blue, that the figures were all portrayed with extreme contraposto and as in their early thirties with strong physical qualities. There is little to differentiate angels from demons from saints from those rising from the dead.

This is where the second article entitled, "Reception of the Last Judgement", picks up. Largely focused on the controversy of the figures themselves, it focuses on the later revisions to the painting so make it "appropriate" enough to avoid destruction.

The next pope, and many other prominent religious figures thought that images such as this one entirely unsuitable for public eye. While this image was not covered with drapery, others, especially those of saints were covered and modified to fit what conservative images they where supposed to uphold for the average viewer's educational purposes. There is also the matter that Gilio, a  critic of the counter-reformation, argued that the figures where created with too much vigor and contortion. He argued that these graceful images might distract the viewer from the actual purpose of the painting, and lead them to only appreciate its aesthetic values. It was of his opinion that a figure should hold no more energy than the subject or action required, and that Michelangelo was simply showing off his artistic talents, and not focusing on the message at hand.

The third and final article, entitled "Michelangelo's Last Judgement as Merciful Heresy", focused on gleaning what beliefs Michelangelo possessed based on how he composed and executed the infamous fresco. For example, by looking at the indifferent face of Christ, as well as the somewhat ambiguous action his arm is making, it may be safe to assume that these gestures were meant to show that Christ was bringing both damnation and glory in the eyes of Michelangelo. That the event of the last judgement was to be both a celebration and the tragic end for those who walked the earth.

Late Titian

Self Portrait, 1565-1670, Titian

According to Peter Humfrey's Titian, by his late sixties Titian had experienced great success riding on the ends of the high renaissance. He had gained a prestigious position as a favorite court painter of Philip II, of Spain. Despite having the favoritism of Phil ip and painting many scenes including six mythological paintings, Titian had no permanent home during this time, and lived in various parts of Europe.  Of these mythological paintings I will be studying Diana and Actaeon, 1556-1559, and Diana and Callisto, 1556-1559.

           

Diana and Actaeon                                                    Diana and Callisto

These two paintings are a pair, portraying the goddess virgin goddess Diana, punishing those who committed crimes against her; a hunter stumbling upon her bathing, and one of her nymphs betraying her vow and becoming pregnant. Throughout his time painting for Philip II, and after Titian always worked from and kept meticulous sketches. Many copies were produced from these sketches, by his workshop which consisted of, Orazio, Girlamo Dente, Christoph Schwartz, and potentially El Greco. While his workshop was mostly in charge of completing copies, Titian did have a had in them, at times heavier than others.

In his own works near the end of his eighty some years, Titian was criticized for a change in style which included looser brush strokes, and a potential loss in vision. Vasari  described it as such, "These last works are executed with bold, sweeping strokes, and in patches of colour, with the result that they cannot be viewed from near by...". Of these later paintings I will be studying the Self-Portrait above, Pieta, and several others in depth, to analyze the change in technique over time.   

Sir Anthony Blunt on Leonardo and Michelangelo - Discussion 4

 

Sir Anthony Blunt wrote extensively on the artist methods of both Leonardo and Michelangelo. What his analysis boils down to is that Leonardo is a master artist concerned with scientific procedure and accurateness, where as Michelangelo was a master artist concerned with pure aesthetics, at times bending the truth to please the eye. 

Leonardo is described as meticulously astute to the scientific nature of perspective and anatomy. He used these sciences to lend accuracy and beauty to his artworks, and according to Blunt maintained that even the media of painting was more noble and scientific than that of his fellow Michelangelo's sculpture. Painting is able to utilize color, aerial perspective, and depict luminescence better than sculpture can. Leonardo also greatly emphasized drawing from life, due to his belief that if one were to draw from a previous sketch it will become more and more "unnatural and mannered." Copying the work of another painter could also lead to this horrible fate, in Leonardo's eyes. 

  

While Leonardo was most opposed to mannered nature in artworks, it was not a concept that Michelangelo was opposed to. He, like Leonardo, dissected bodies to gain an intimate knowledge of anatomy, but did not fret over tweaking the bodily composition to further please the eye. At times he fiddles with figures, mostly those of women, to gain ideal musculature. In subject manner Michelangelo most always utilized biblical figures, and explored his own faith through them. His process was also significant spiritually, since he felt that one did not carve a sculpture, they simply unveiled what God had left inside to be discovered. 

To compare the two artists it to compare two kinds of fruit. Both are of the most talented to have ever lived, but neither are concerned with the same methodology or purpose. On one hand there is Leonardo, concerned with all things academic and the scientific nature of painting; on the other is Michelangelo, concerned with the will of God, and how best to please him and fulfill his spiritual life.  

Titian's Venus of Urbino - Discussion 4

                     Titian, Venus of Urbino, 1538.

Painted for duke of Camerino, Titian's Venus of Urbino is his iconic master piece. In the article by Rona Goffen, the composition, inspirational predecessors, and its sexual content is analyzed. To begin with, Titian of course sought out inspiration for the composition from one of its namesakes. the Venus Pudica, or the 'modest Venus'.

 

                                             Venus Pedica

It is highly emphasized that while this Venus is modest, and Titian has used it as an inspiration, his is not modest, but supporting herself with her arm rather than covering herself. Perhaps a more obvious source of inspiration was that of one his contemporaries, Giorgione's  Sleeping Venus. 

                 Giorgione, Sleeping Venus.

While Titian and Giorgione's Venus's are strikingly similar in posture and body type, there are two very important difference, which almost completely change the meaning and context of Titian's version. Giorgione has his Venus set in the outdoors, which is a typical and traditional setting for a classical subject. Generally if the woman is classicised, it is deemed ok for nudity to be present. However, it is noticed that Titian's Venus of Urbino is set indoors, on a tousled bed, with maid servants either retrieving of putting away some of her clothes. Goffen even points out that some of the furniture would have been recognizable to contemporaries as marriage furniture, signifying that she is indeed in a bedroom, which immediately sexualizes the context. The other major difference between Sleeping Venus and Venus of Urbino is eye contact. While Sleeping Venus obviously can not make eye contact, Venus of Urbino is looking directly and boldly into the viewer's eyes, in a relaxed sort of way. This implies that either the viewer is is being invited closer. This is highly unusual, generally classical Venus's avert their eyes and stare dreamily away, or in fact have them closed. The fact that Titian's Venus is making eye contact creates a much more intimate experience. 

Despite these bold choices, Goffen also wanted to convey that this would generally not have been considered as pornographic for the time, and was still high art. There were in fact a series of pornographic engravings in circulation, as well as books that followed those same lines. Compared to these explicit examples, Titian gives his Venus a presence other than objectifying her physically. She is a figure of beauty, with a personality, and a sense of sexuality- not over sexualization. 

Cultural Introduction to Renaissance Rome - Discussion 3

                             Old Saint Peter's Basilica 

It is quite easy for students studying Rome to forget that the city ever fell. There are so many rich events to be discussed in regards to this ancient city. From the founding myths of Romulus and Remus, to the brutality and extravagance of Emperors like Nero, the Colosseum, and the art produced in the Renaissance. It is so easy to glaze over the decay of classical Rome and concentrate on the exciting and enlightened ages around it. 

However, Ingrid D. Rowland's article "Cultural Introduction to Renaissance Rome" emphasizes the ruins to which the Papacy returned to from Avignon, France. Petrarch is quoted on what he saw during the period of Rome's decay after it had fallen to the Visigoths and Vandals,

    "Although when I first...went to Rome, almost nothing was left of that old Rome but an outline or an      image, and only the ruins bore witness to its bygone greatness, nonetheless, among these ashes            there were still some noble sparks; but now the ash is long extinguished and grown cold."

According to this quotation, Rome appeared to be without hope of ever being great again. It appears that about this, Petrarch was incorrect. When the Papacy returned to the land where Christianities many founding events took place, Rome was much the same as it had been described by Petrarch. The city was still in ruins, among which the residents had made seemingly temporary housing by comparison. However, with the clergy came people and businesses to serve it. As economics increased, so did the effort to rebuild and reclaim the glory of Rome. 

Much of this effort was in new construction, mostly churches. These of course were commission by popes, or occasionally by cardinals who were competing for the most impressive projects. It is obvious that the architects were inspired by the ancient Roman classicism around them, however their veneration did not prevent them from looting the ruins for materials to build with, such as the case of the Colosseum who's materials were taken and reused for the palazzi. 

Another significant portion of Rome's progress from the dark ages to renewal of glory was the opportunity of a humanist education. Although, as I discussed in my first posting, humanist educations were not as free and available to everyone as we commonly think today, it did allow for those who came from wealthy families (but with tarnished circumstances) to progress and create a name and wealth for themselves. The architect Alberti was the son of a Florentine banker, however he was illegitimate; his humanist education allowed him the ability to gain the wealth that he could never inherit from his father. Many other men who belonged to the humanist practice were eloquent and prided themselves on their oratory skills, as well as gaining knowledge from classical Roman texts. While they were often questioned by christian preachers on grounds of morality, the humanists argued that God's "method of creation" was reflected in these ancient Roman author's works. 

With this renewed emphasis the Vatican Library was established by Nicholas V, and was decorated with frescos by Fra Angelico. This illustrates quite well how popes would erect a building of significance and power, whether it be a library or church, and then proceed to commission art works for these new constructions. Leaving behind a large, beautiful, and frequently dominating monument for others to remember them by mimics the practices of classical Roman Emperors constructing baths, and other forms of entertainment as there legacy. 

A great example of this is Saint Peter's Basilica. Pope Julius II, a fiery man who also had a great love for art and commissioned much of it, condemned and tore down the Old Saint Peter's Basilica (shown above). He commissioned Bramante to design and construct the replacement, which would be more grand, and would have two main roads leading straight to it. Within the new Saint Peter's Pope Julius planned on having his tomb constructed in the center, right above the resting place of Saint Peter. This was to be designed and decorated by Michelangelo, although it was never finished, the sculptures are quite stunning.   

 

Not long after Pope Julius II's death did the extravagant construction and commissions slow. While they were not torn down by later Pope's who disapproved of using one's power in such a way, there has yet been such a surge in monumental, classicized art. 

Leonardo da Vinci: Flights of Mind (185-215) - Discussion 2

Pages 185- 215 of Leonardo da Vinci: Flights of Mind focuses on Leonardo's initial move to Milan from Florence,  his paintings Virgin of the Rocks, and his early notebooks. When Leonardo first moved to Milan, approximately 180 miles by his calculations, the Sfoza were the ruling family. The Sfoza were considered to be militaristic, however they were major patrons of art. This is the family that Leonardo would surround himself with, receive a commission for a ceiling painting, and later sell the original Virgin of the Rocks to. 

Many of Leonardo's early sketches were of a military nature, which of course interested Ludovico Sfoza, who was also called "the Moor" due to his dark skin color. Ludovico was a regent and Duke, but held the majority of power in the Sfoza family, and was described as "ruthless, pragmatic, and intelligent". Even though there was interest shown in Leonardo's military inventions, they never were fully developed. While Ludovico never commissioned Leonardo to execute one of his military ideas, he did purchase the first version of Virgin of the Rocks, which was commissioned by a separate party called the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception.

The Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception originally commissioned Virgin of the Rocks as a three paneled (triptych) altarpiece. There also were various guidelines to include angles other christian symbols. The first version produced is oddly devoid of these elements, and is of a different size than what is specified. It is theorized that this could be due to Leonardo already having a virgin and child scene underway, and did not want to drastically alter his current composition. This version also shows little evidence of his partnership with the Perdis brothers on the commission. It is this version (left image above) that is later sold to Ludovico Sfoza instead of the commissioners.  

The second version of Virgin of the Rocks (right image above), is the actual painting that was given to the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception as a replacement for the commissioned painting. This version shows more evidence of Leonardo's considerations of the commissioned guidelines. This can be seen in the angel's wings and the figure's halos. This version also shows Leonardo's partnership with the Perdis brothers. The figures stand out of the background, are lighter in color, and there is a general lack of the sfumato effect that Leonardo is so famous for. This implies a heavier hand of the Perdis brothers in the execution of the painting. 

Both of these versions were painted during Milan's three year outbreak of the plague, which killed up to a third of the population. These paintings, along with Leonardo's notebooks were considered to be a form of escapism. He often designed ideal cities, with proper sanitation, in order to help prevent such conditions that encourage outbreaks of disease. In his early journals, lists of books that he owned could also be found. A few of these were of religious nature, many were of a scientific nature, and many were of poetry. It is apparent through his library list, and through the Latin vocabulary lists that he kept, that Leonardo kept a rigorous and demanding academic schedule for himself. 

For a painter who has a modern reputation of leaving many things unfinished, Leonardo appears to have enormous amounts of self-motivation. Designs of military inventions, city plans, paintings, vocabulary lists, and book keeping - there must not have been enough time in the day for Leonardo to finish fully explore all his ventures.   

Humanism - Discussion 1

Humanism, as thought of present day, is the study of classical Greece and Rome with an emphasis grammar, rhetoric, and eloquence, applied to everyday life. This movement, while still prevalent in public education, took root in Italy during the 14th Century.  Humanism was a large contributing factor in ushering in the Renaissance, a time when the greatest artists, Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, Botticelli, and Titian lived and worked. However, this idealistic view of humanism, one where knowledge and the study of classics was highly encouraged across all society, is not entirely realistic as Martines argues in "Humanism: A Program for Ruling Classes".

The main focus of the article is that while humanism encouraged education in history, ethics, Latin, and grammar in order to make the pupil "a complete man", the aim was not to educate the student for a "mere money-making pursuit." The aim was in fact to encourage a leisurely pursuit of knowledge, as well as civic duty. This means that humanists largely had little to no income, and were living off of previously earned or inherited wealth- therefore one had to be of an elite class in order to maintain the humanist way of life.  While Martines does explain that a few humanists argued on the behalf of lower class boys to receive the same education, it is also pointed out that this did not often happen because it was believed that boys of a lower class would cling to the ideals that they were raised with. 

One group that would have been left out of the educational revolution that the article did not discuss was women, and to what extent. Would a woman of an elite class receive an education of humanist origins, or would it be considered a waste on the emotional sex? It is important to remind oneself that while humanism greatly effected perhaps the most artistically rich era of all time, it did have limitations on who it reached.