About the Artist:
Titian was born to Lucia and Gregorio di
conte dei vecelli in
a small village of Pieve di Cadore in the Dolomite range of the
Alps. Although there is much speculation and contradiction to his
exact date of birth it is thought to be around 1485. His father was superintendent of the castle of Pieve
di Cadore and also managed local mines for their owners. He was also a distinguished councilor and
soldier.
When he was ten years old he was
taken to Venice with his brother Francesco to stay with their uncle
and began to study under the celebrated artist
and mosaicist, Sebastian Zuccato. After 4 to 5 years he then went to
study under Gentile Bellini and then Giovanni Bellini an established
and well know artist of the time. While there he befriended several
other young artists among whom were Giovanni Palma da Serinalta,
Lorenzo Lotto, Sebastiano Luciani and Giorgio da Castelfranco, who
would also become renowned in their own right.
In 1507 he joined the workshop of Giorgio
Barbarelli da Castelfranco (Giorgione) as an assistant. Giorgione
was commissioned by the state to execute frescoes on the re-erected Fondaco dei Tedeschi and it is believed that fragments of Titians work still remain. It was while
working alongside Giorgione that he would adopt the style that would
stay with him in his work to the extent that some of his earlier
works could be accredited to Giorgione. He stayed for only 3 years
as Giorgione died at the very young age of 33 which left Titian
to finish some of
Giorgiones unfinished work. Giorgiones death along
with the death of Bellini in 1516 would leave Titian in a league of
his own within the Venetian school.
In 1510 Titian received his first important
commission. It was to paint frescoes in the Scuola del Santo
in Padua, representing three miracles of Saint Anthony. The Miracle
of the Newborn Child, The Healing of the Wrathful Son
and The Miracle of the Jealous Husband. Following this he began to win more commisions and
establish himself in his own right.
In 1512 he returned to Venice and a year later he
sets up a workshop with students such as El Greco, Tintoretto, Paris
Bordone, Parrasio Micheli, Damiano Mazza and Polidoro Lanzani, he
obtaines a broker's patent in the Fondaco dei Tedeschi, the outer
facade was later to be painted by him. Termed La Sanseria or
Senseria (a privilege much coveted by rising or risen artists), he
became superintendent of the government works, being especially
charged to complete the paintings left unfinished by Giovanni
Bellini in the hall of the great council in the ducal palace. He set
up an atelier on the Grand Canal at S. Samuele, the precise site
being now unknown.
In 1516- 1518 he painted
The Assumption of the Maddona, for the high altar of the church of
the Frari, one of his most world-renowned masterpieces, It was seen as a marker in Titian's career
establishing him as a more universal artist who drew his inspiration
from outside the confines of Venice. (Now
in the Venetian Academy). It excited a vast sensation, being indeed
the most extraordinary piece of colourist execution on a great scale
which Italy had yet seen. He continued to establish himself
producing many similar works through the following years and
continued to establish himself as a master of his art which made his
work even more desirable.
In 1525 He marries Cecilia of whom
little is known, which then makes their first child legitimate. More
children were to follow. After the birth of Lavinia which led to the
death of his wife during childbirth in 1530 he moved with his three
children to the Bin Grande and left them and the house hold in the
care of his sister Orsa. Around this time also he became very close
to Pierto Aretino an Italian author, Poet, Play write and satirist
who was influential on contemporary art and
politics and invented modern literate pornography.
From 1530 onwards his reputation continued to grow
through out Europe, and Federico II Gonzaga a client of Titians who
he first met in 1523 introduced him to the Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V, (in Bologna, where he was crowned that year). Titian also
began to change his style and
devotes himself more and more to the dramatic style. He starts
using related rather than contrasting colours in juxtaposition (The
act or an instance of placing two or more things side by side) using
yellows and pale shades instead of the strong blues and reds which
he used in his previous work. He continued his series of small
Madonnas which he treated amid beautiful landscapes in the manner of
genre pictures or poetic pastorals, the Virgin with the Rabbit
being the finished type of these pictures.
In 1533 he painted a famous portrait of the
emporer Charles V which was based on a similar portrait by the
Austrian court painter Seisenegger. The emperor was so pleased with
the finished piece that he appointed Titian court painter and
elevated him to the rank of Count Palatine and Knight of the Golden
Spur.
The most dynamic of all Titian's
paintings of this period was the Death of St. Peter Martyr in
which the violent action of the piece was echoed in the convulsion
of the old oak trees and sky. Toward the end of this period he
painted The battle of Cadore which depicted in life size the moment at which the Venetian captain, D'Alviano
fronted the enemy with horses and men crashing down into a stream
in which he showed a more dramatic style and new release of vigour
in his work.
In 1538 Titian
creates Venus of Urbino one of the
numerous paintings of a female nude depicting his ideal of female
beauty.
The Venetian Government become
dissatisfied with Titian as they feel he is neglectful of the on
going work for the ducal palace. He is ordered to refund the money
he had received when he was unemployed and another artist by the
name of Pordenone in installed in his place. Perdenone dies soon
after and Titian is reinstated. Around this time his position and
worldly success is equal only to that of
Raphael, Michelangelo, and at a later date Rubens.
In 1540 his work became
more heavily influenced by the Mannerism of central
and north Italy. He received a
pension from D'Avalos, marquis del Vasto, and an
annuity of 200 crowns (which was afterwards doubled)
from Charles V on the treasury of Milan. Another
source of profit, was a contract obtained in 1542
for supplying grain to Cadore, where he visited
almost every year and where he was both generous and
influential.Titian had a
favorite villa on the neighboring Manza Hill, from
which it is concluded he made his chief observations
of landscape form and effect. The so-called Titian's
mill, constantly discernible in his studies, is at
Collontola, near Belluno.
In 1546 he visited Rome where he
was impressed buy the works of Michel Angelo and the
remains of antiquity. He was given the freedom of
the city. This honour had once also been bestowed on
Michel Angelo in 1537. He was presented with the
opportunity to take over from the painter Fra
Sebastiano in the office of piombo an offer to which
he showed no reluctance in becoming a friar for the
purpose, unfortunately the project lapsed due to his
being summoned away from Venice in 1547 to paint
Charles V and other subjects in Augsburg Germany.
While in Rome his own paintings were gaining a lot
of interest and he also painted the famous portrait
of Pope Paul III and his Nephews (Museo
di Capodimonte).
In 1548 Charles V summoned him
again to Augsburg, where he painted both a formal
equestrian portrait (Charles V at the Battle
of Mühlberg) and a more intimate one showing
him seated in an armchair (Alte Pinakothek)
In 1550 he was in
Augsburg again ,where he
painted the portrait of Philip II.
This was sent to England and proved
a potent auxiliary in the suit of
the prince for the hand of Queen
Mary. He also painted several
subjects over a period of
approximately 10 to 15 years for the
prince which depicted erotic
mythological themes depicting a
different style
of painting, Forms gradually lose
their solidity, partially dissolving
into hazy paint textures with
vibrant brushstrokes and there is a
splendor of colour.
These pictures
were Danaë,
Venus and Adonis, Perseus and
Andromeda, The Rape of Europa, Diana
and Acteon, and Diana and Calisto,
and The death of Acteon. Another
great work from this time and
Perhaps one of his favourite works
was Venus with a mirror. This canvas
remained in Titian's studio until
his death, and was the inspiration
for many copies and variations. Due
to the painting's superior quality,
this is the only version that is
universally recognized to be
entirely the product of Titian's
hand alone.
In 1554 the marriage of his
beautiful daughter and subject of
various works Lavinia took place.
Being already betroved by him to
Cornellio Sarcinelli of Serravalle.
She had taken over the management of
the household from her aunt Orsa who
had died, and as he was providing a
more than average income it placed
her in a strong position. Sadly
though like her mother and almost as
if history was repeating itself she
too died in child birth 1560.
In 1556 His close friend
poet and writer Pietro Aretino dies
suddenly.
In 1565 Titian
went to Cadore . There he
designed the decorations for the
church at Pieve, which were partly
executed by his pupils. One of these
is a Transfiguration. amoung other
later works were Allegory of Time
Governed by Prudence which it is
thought to depict Titian, his son
Oraziowho was alleged to be his
favorite and a young cousin,
Marco Vecellio:
He also painted Penitent St. Mary
Magdalene.
For the remainder
of his life he worked mainly for
Prince Philip and devoted much of
his time to portraits, becoming more
critical of his work as he became
evermore the perfectionist.
Although for every
problem he undertook he furnished a
new a formula he was unable to equal
the emotion and tragedy or poetry of
some of his earlier works such as
The Crowning With Thorns or The
Pilgrims of Emmanus.He had paintings
remaining in his studio for up to
ten years which he would keep
returning too, to add a little
detail or touch of colour or make a
slight adjustment to. He also spent
some time finishing off copies of
earlier works of his by his pupils,
which created more problems of
accreditation and priority of his
works. Many of which were copied
both before and after his death.
He continually
strived to develope new ideas and
techniques within his work . His
palette seemed to lack the freshness
of his earlier work and his tone
started to soften, the matter itself
grew heavier and more dense and the
variation lessened in resplendency
and brilliance and yet some of his
most moving pictures are those of
his old age, the Dan of
Naples and of Madrid, the Antiope,
the Rape of Europa
other woks included Religion
Succored by Spain and St Sebastian.
He continued to
accept commissions to the very end
and on 27th August 1576 being one
of, if not the greatest
Renaissance painters of all time was seized by
the plague which had its grip on
Venice he died in his home in Biri
Grande Venice aged around 91. He had
originally wanted to be buried at
the chapel of the crucifix in the
church at Fran and had offered
Franciscans a Picture of the Pietà
intended for his own tomb,
representing himself and his son
Orazio before the Saviour, another
figure in the composition being a
sibyl. He never finished the work
which resulted in differences
arising and so he was interred in
his home town of Pieve, Although
other writings say he was buried in
Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in
Venice.
It is beleived that the Pietà was
finished by
Palma il Giovane.
after his death.
