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Rembrandt's Venus With A Mirror

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The contrasts and differences between a 17th century Dutch golden age painting about the virtues of hospitality, and a 16th century Renaissance painting whose whole structure seems to create a virtue of vanity are numerous. Rembrandt, the Dutch master behind the painting “Philemon and Baucis” was known for his use of compassion in the choice of subject matter and portrayal of who he considered the truly virtuous among us. Titian, the Renaissance painter behind “Venus with a Mirror”, was widely admired for his ability to paint a tremendous breadth of subjects. While both paintings rely on non-Christian themes, they contain vastly different color palates, usage of light as a tool to engage the viewer, portrayal of human form and handling and style of painting to transmit emotion. “Venus with a Mirror” is an oil on canvas painting painted by the Italian painter Titian around the year 1555 C.E. The painting portrays a naked woman (in a throwback to the art of antiquity she is referred to as a Venus) …show more content…

The source of the light seems to come from the left of viewer as it reaches the cupid who holds the mirror but leaves the cupid who raises the crown in shadow. The light is bright and seems to be the source of the Venus almost glowing milky flesh. Titian uses a range of rich colors. The Venus has glowing white skin, which is wrapped in a blanket in the richest red and decorated with gold detail. The bed is covered in a pattern with alternating gold and brown stripes. The cupids have strawberry hair, and stand over a wooden object (not exactly sure what it is) that is a burnt orange color. One cupid wears a sash of bright gold and holds a cloth of deep blue. The curtain in the background is an earthy green and is cast in shadow. The overall impression is that the vibrant colors that Titian uses surround and draw attention to the illuminated body of the

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