Tiziano Vecellio: Titian

The focal point of the painting is the woman with infant. This is shown by the lighting in the painting being directly on her, the bright red that she is wearing, and the circling of the putti around her figure along with the majority of their gazes being directed at her. The bright light directly behind her and the infant could possibly be coming from the sun behind the clouds in the sky, the putti to her upper right holding the torch, or it could be symbolic in that it is the infant’s halo and representative of his divine nature. The overall piece is not overly dark but the lighting seems to be most focused on the woman, infant, her other children, and the flying putti. This is an example of tenebrism.

When seeing this painting in person we see all the lines and colors really pop out as opposed to seeing it in a text book. You see that the images are much clearer in person giving us sharper appearances of the subject matters. With Manfredi being a member of the Caravaggisti, and therefore; we see Caravaggio like methods in the painting; such as the darken background, and the one source lighting. With the background being very dark not only does it allow you to focus more on the subject matter of the piece but it allows for the gloomy emotional aspect of it to be displayed. With the one source lighting in this painting it permits for Cupid’s skin to look like actual perfect flesh. The lighting allows Manfredi to show off his skills on how well can he imitate the human flesh by having the layers of red, giving the painting life, and the layers of blue, giving the paint translucently. The lighted areas that is caused by the once source of light focuses on the main parts of the composition; the flying doves, the Mars’ arm holding Cupid’s wrist, Cupid, and the Venus’ shoulder and arm. Like most of Caravaggio’s paintings, the one source lighting helps Manfredi to displays Leonardo’s Golden triangle method. Just like Caravaggio’s paintings, Manfredi uses the Golden triangle method so that the viewer’s eye is always being

The Venus of Willendorf is a sculpture that was sculpted out of limestone and stands to be 4 ½’’ tall. The figurine was most likely carved out of limestone because early pre-historic artists generally had to create art out of whatever materials they had available. The figurine is only 4 ½” tall is because it was common for pre-historic artists to carve small, hand held, portable figurines. The sculpture was found on the banks of the Danube River, an area where pre-historic hunter-gatherers were thought to have lived and traded goods with other civilians. The use of this piece of artwork is to portray the importance of women and fertility in pre-historic times because these features are ones that ensured the survival and future of mankind.

The main focus of the painting intended by Titian is a nude woman, Venus, looking straightforwardly at the audience. The young woman’s nipples are erect; with her left hand covers her pubic area, the sexuality of this painting is unquestionable. She is completely naked except for the ring on her little finger and the bracelet around her wrist. It is clear that the intention of this painting is to evoke sensual feelings in its audience.

In 1538, the Venus of Urbino was commissioned by the Duke of Urbino Guidobaldo II Della Rovere, to his bride as a wedding gift. Titian referenced his teacher’s work, which is Giorgione’s Sleeping Venus , It described Venus sleeping on the ground, in nature, nude. Her gesture is almost same as Titian’s Venus of Urbino, distinguished by the position of her right arm. Titian used the “Velatura” as known as “glazing” technique, which is a technique of applying multiple layers of transparent thin paint to create the final piece, the charm of this technique is the painting is as smooth as glass and the

The Venus of Willendorf was found in 1908 by a workman named “Johann Veran” (Selen). It was found by archeologists at a Paleolithic site. Here at the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria, we have the only authentic Venus Figurine (Naturhistorisches Museum Wien). The artifact’s purpose is still being speculated by many. But from what I can infer, the figurine was used a a maternal figure, and it shows the richness of female fertility.

The love of marriage is shown in the small myrtle flower lying beside Venus, the flower petals and shell above her head are both said to be in connection to marriage. What's also very important to the painting is the way the bodies are positioned and what they are doing. Venus lying down placing her hand amongst her chest, this further resembles the institution of marriage in partnership and brings forth desire. Cupid on the other hand, which I was curious about, is peeing in Venus’s direction, through an ivy plant which is mentioned to represent fertility. On the Museums website this act along with the veil, crown, and pearl earrings, represent fertility referenced by “Italian Venetians”. What I found most interesting about this painting is the tiny snake near Venus. Why is it there? Especially in a painting that resembles marriage. The museum website mentions that this snake reveals the “darker aspect” of marriage. That is, “illicit”, not approved of. I also wondered about the rod that lies near Venus, and the website does say that it is most likely used to discipline Cupid. Nevertheless, the meaning of the painting is marriage as a happy institution, the museum also mentions that the message of “epithalamia” is conveyed as necessary, and that marriage is something everyone must do, and experience, and that this is in our nature to do so. Which explains the very natural

The Mazarin Venus at the Getty has been restored extensively. Scholars believe the head actually belonged to another ancient statue. Nevertheless, it is still a beautiful piece that demonstrates how the ancients viewed their gods. Venus has a beautifully proportioned and shapely figure. She has a lovely face, also classically proportioned, that is framed by curls. Her hair cascades down her back and falls over one shoulder. She gazes off to the side. She is graceful and elegant, showing herself with neither boldness nor undue modesty. She represents the female ideal of her times. Her beauty mirrors the beauty of love. The Greek sculptor who originally created the figure and the Roman sculptor who copied it did

Venus is a term that has long been associated with artwork, most specifically the classical forms of beautiful women. The term Venus has also come to represent female sculptures of the Paleolithic era. The most notable of these female sculptures is the Venus of Willendorf, 24,000-22,000 BCE. The age of the figurine has been changed several times. Originally when found the date was estimated to be 15,000 to 10,000 BCE. During the 1970's the time period was adjusted to 25,000 to 20,000 BCE; the date was again recalculated in the 1980's to 30,000 to 25,000 BCE;

Titian painted Venus and Adonis because of the tale called Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Basically, the tale was about the goddess Venus getting struck by cupid and her falling desperately in love with Adonis. Adonis, a hunter was leaving with his hunting dogs but the goddess Venus does not want him leaving. She foresees the hunt will be dangerous for him and tries very hard for Adonis not to leave. Titian grabbed the moment of the goddess Venus, giving of her warning, and Adonis’s death and basically painting the emotionally charged moment of Adonis’s departure for the hunt (Venice). The goddess Venus in this painting is portrayed as more of a frantic women rather than a dignified feminine ideal. Also the role is sort of reversed and the goddess Venus is portrayed more as masculine than feminine. Since she was struck by love so hard, she is depicted as sort of an aggressive women in

Consequently, many of the colors used in Titian’s Venus of Urbino rematerialize in numerous of Titian’s other works, for example the green in the curtain behind the young woman’s head. The green depicted was painted

Inspired by Giorgione, Titian’s Venus has a lot of similarities with Giorgione’s Venus. Similar to the sleeping Venus, Titan used curved and flowing lines to depict the beautiful figure of the female nude and as well the cloth underneath her. The shape is close or the same to Giorgione’s Venus: a nude women reclining on the mattress with her hand covered on her private. The light source is unknown too; it could be the natural light from a window or spot light from a lamp. Like the sleeping Venus, value

Concerning color, there is a stark contrast between the figure on the painting and the background. More specifically, the figure of the woman is predominantly delineated in white color, especially pale, ashen white, as far her apparel and facial complexion are concerned, while there are also various hues of grey, with respect to her hair and accessory feather. These white and grey shades are vividly contrasted with the prevailing red and crimson hues of the background (viz. the drape, armchair, and table). Moreover, one can detect colors of dark green (jewelry), some beige on the left (pillar), and darker or lighter shades of blue on the right side of the canvas (sky), which all in concert and in addition to the subtle purple hue forming the sun or moon exude a certain dramatic sentiment. Also, there is brown, which often easily segues into gold (viz. books and attire details respectively). The main contrast of colors between white and red would be interpreted as serving the purpose of rendering the figure of the woman, and especially her face, the focal point of the work, despite, paradoxically enough, the lush red shades at the background. Bearing that in mind, the significance of the woman’s face will be enlarged upon later, when discussing aspects of her identity.

the scale makes the shell of high importance, hinting at the sexual arousal that Venus illuminates.

The Toilet of Venus whereby for this work of art, several questions including the fundamental motivation for the visual art and the styles used in the paintings will arise. Art has always held an influential position in the social, economic, and political lives of humankind. Examining the relationship will open eyes for more studies on the specific implications of each style used in the life.