Tiziano / Tizian / Titian (Tiziano Vecellio), Pieve di Cadore ca. 1485/90 - Venedig 1576
Venus verbindet Amor die Augen / Titian, Venus blindfolding Cupid / Tiziano, Venere che benda amore (ca. 1565)
Galleria Borghese, Rom

In old inventories, the figures in this painting are identified as either the Three Graces or Venus and two nymphs. In fact, the work depicts Venus blindfolding Cupid, the little god of love, and two nymphs who bring Cupid s bow and arrows. The painting evokes Cupid's blind power as his mother, the cosmic divinity, blindfolds him. His brother is intent on observing the large number of arrows or fatal darts of love (a metaphor for amorous glances) the nymph is carrying.

This entire painting is covered by a unified golden red shade that is particularly apparent in the colour of the sky. The colour scheme is completed by an economical use of blues and greens. Titian decided not to use the powerful, impasto highlights that are such a frequent feature of his works during the 1550s. The painting, in spite of the potentially joyous mythological subject and similarly to other works executed in this period, is pervaded with a degree of tension which is clearly evident in the sad and pensive expressions and in the intense colours of the fiery sky.

The rapid brush-strokes of Titian's mature pictorial technique when seen close to seem to break up the forms but from a distance they acquire an extraordinary modelled quality and create a chromatic texture that blends the background and figures in a `Venetian' harmony of colours. In the 17th century this style influenced Velázquez, Rubens, van Dyck and Caravaggio.

Source: Web Gallery of Art

Tags:   Rom Roma Rome Italien Italy Italia Galleria Borghese Tizian Titian Tiziano Venus verbindet Amor die Augen Venus blindfolding Cupid Venere che benda amore Gemälde painting

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Tiziano / Tizian / Titian (Tiziano Vecellio), Pieve di Cadore um 1485/90 - Venedig 1576
Ecce Homo (1543)
Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien

Ecce Homo Szenen der Verurteilung Christi wurden von italienischen Malern nicht oft dargestellt. Tizian rückt Christus und den unentschlossen wirkenden Pontius Pilatus zwar an den linken Bildrand, führt aber durch die Bildkomposition und besonders durch den im Vordergrund in Rückenansicht dargestellten Soldat alle Aufmerksamkeit in deren Richtung. Der Soldat stützt sich auf ein Schild mit dem Doppeladler des Heiligen Römisches Reiches, eine Hommage an den kaiserlichen Hof der Habsburger, dessen offizieller Maler er seit 1533 war.

Tags:   Tizian Titian Tiziano Vecellio Ecce Homo Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien KHM Wien KHM Vienna Österreich Austria

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Tizian / Titian / Tiziano Vecellio, Pieve di Cadore um 1485/90 - Venedig 1576
Abendmahl in Emmaus - Supper at Emmaus - Cena in Emmaus (1535)
Musée du Louvre, Paris

Tags:   Tizian Titian Tiziano Vecellio Abendmahl in Emmaus Supper at Emmaus Cena in Emmaus Musée du Louvre Paris

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Tizian / Titian / Tiziano Vecellio, Pieve di Cadore um 1485/90 - Venedig 1576
Adelige Dame und ihre Tochter - A Patrician Lady and her daughter (ca. 1540)
National Trust, Hatchlands Park, Guildford, Surrey, UK

There is quite a story behind Titian's unfinished portrait as can be read on: www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2005/12/01/maven-mystery

Tags:   Tizian Titian Tiziano Vecellio Adelige Dame und ihre Tochter A Patrician Lady and her daughter National Trust Hatchlands Park

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Tizian / Titian / Tiziano Vecellio, Pieve di Cadore um 1485/90 - Venedig 1576
Alfonso d'Avalos, Markgraf von Vasto in Rüstung mit einem Pagen - Alfonso d'Avalos, Marquis of Vasto, in Armor with a Page (ca. 1533)
J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, USA

Titian's Portrait of Alfonso d'Avalos, painted in Bologna in the winter of 1533, signals the inception of one of the most influential prototypes in the history of Western art - the standing state portrait. Dressed in armor with a diminutive page looking up to him, Alfonso d'Avalos exudes the tremendous power he wielded as governor of Milan and commander general of imperial forces in Italy under the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V. As the Abbot of Brantôme, a French historian, observed, Avalos was a man who took great care with his appearance. He was born into an illustrious Spanish-Neapolitan family and trained for a military career under his cousin, Ferdinando Francesco, the Marchese di Pescara. After winning numerous military campaigns, Avalos was honored with the Order of the Golden Fleece. He is shown wearing the Order's royal collar over an elaborate and beautifully wrought suit of armor befitting an imperial leader. In the lower left, his page hands him a helmet. Titian endowed him with all the earnestness of a learned and contemplative man, while at the same time conveying his authority.
Source: J. Paul Getty Museum

Tags:   Tizian Titian Tiziano Vecellio Alfonso d'Avalos J. Paul Getty Museum

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