Tiziano Vecellio,
known as Titian, is remembered as the greatest painter
of the Venetian School. The date of his birth is
contradictory. The artist did little to help end this
confusion since he was fond of making exaggerations
about his age. The best estimate of his birth year is
between 1488 and 1490. Although some of the background
of Titian is unclear, he was probably a student of
Giovanni Bellini.
In 1508, Titian assisted Giorgione with a fresco
decoration, and it was for this reason that after
Giorgione’s death, Titian was to complete a number of
his paintings. Some of these paintings are quite famous,
and many people dispute who the works should be
attributed to.
Titian's first solo artistic venture was a series of
frescoes documenting the life of St. Anthony. Shortly
after, Titian became official painter of the Republic, a
title which he held until his death. |
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After 1510, Titian
strayed from the style of Giorgione to experiment with
his own. A blend of the structured and the poetic, his
style became much bolder and more passionate than it had
been. His paintings rivaled anything else that had been
done before in their splendor and color. They set the
stage for Baroque art. His altarpieces are some of the
greatest examples of his dynamic work. Many of the other
paintings in this time period are grand creations of
mythological figures, all alive with color.
In 1530, Titian's wife died. His vibrant former art
became more subdued. The bold color schemes were now
muted. Bright reds and blues were traded for soft
yellows or other pale shades. Still, Titian enjoyed huge
success. During this time frame, he became famous
throughout Europe. He began to paint many portraits. He
was eventually appointed court painter by Charles V.
In the 1540s, Titian made a journey to Rome. He was
moved by the works of Michelangelo. As the year 1550
approached, he painted portraits of royalty as well as
several mythological paintings. He referred to the
pictures as “poesie”. The pictures were different from
his earlier, more passionate paintings. The newer
creations were indeed poetic.
Titian didn’t work alone. He ran a very busy studio.
Among his assistants were Francesco Vecellio, his cousin
Cesare, and his son Orazio. During the last 20 years of
Titian's life, the look of his paintings changes.
Subdued colors are plentiful. They are referred to as
the “dark paintings” and are very different from his
usual colorful style. Titian died in 1576 at around age
91. He continued to create masterpieces until his death.
Titian was regarded as a genius during his lifetime, and
his works continue to inspire awe today. There have,
however been recent controversies to suggest that some
of the later paintings were possibly produced by one of
his assistants since the style is so obviously
different.
Anyone who owns a Titian painting will notice the free,
passionate brushwork, explosions of color, and the
appearance of his paintings resonating with life. They
look as if they were effortlessly painted with quick,
fluid strokes while in actuality they are intricately
painted masterpieces that definitely took a great deal
of time to execute. If viewed closely, the brushstrokes
are visible. If the viewer is standing far away from the
painting, it appears flawless. Most of his works are
altarpieces, paintings with mythological themes,
pastoral landscapes, or portraits. |
