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- Do they look like real women to you or not? What is it about them that makes you think this?
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Titian (Tiziano Vecellio)
Venus Rising from the Sea ('Venus Anadyomene')
1520Titian lived in Venice for most of his life, but was also known throughout Europe. He may have made this work to rival a famous ancient Greek painter called Apelles. Apelles was greatly admired in the 1500s. He had painted a 'Venus Rising from the Sea', which had since been lost and was known only through a written description. Titian's Venus is a big, beautiful woman who dominates the picture. She looks unaware of being seen, like a celebrity snapped by a paparazzo while wading ashore after a swim. The only reference to her mythical status is the small scallop shell in the bottom left-hand corner.
Titian's Venus fills the canvas. The small shell floating on the water identifies the beautiful nude female as the goddess of love. The ancient Greek poet Hesiod described how Venus was born fully grown from the sea and blown to the shore on a scallop shell. Titian shows the goddess wringing her hair, a pose inspired by classical sculpture and by an account of a painting by Apelles, the most celebrated painter of ancient Greece. Titian's Venus proved that he could rival the art of antiquity and that he could make the ideal appear real. The painting is in exceptionally fine condition and was acquired from the Sutherland collection in 2003.
- Glossary (2 terms)
- Open
Antiquity, Classicism
Antiquity
A general term for the civilisations of Ancient Greece and Rome. Also used as a general term to describe something very old.
Classicism
A general term for art and architecture based on ancient Greek and Roman culture.
Titian made a greater impact on European painting than any other artist from Venice. His use of colour and development of a 'painterly' style of lively brush work has influenced generations of artists. He excelled in all types of painting, including altarpieces, religious subjects for private devotion, themes from classical mythology, allegorical works and portraits. The bright clear colours and smooth appearance of his early paintings are quite different from the more dramatic tonal contrasts and broken brushwork of his later work. He received public and private commissions from within Venice and from eminent patrons elsewhere. Titian painted many of his most celebrated pictures for King Philip II of Spain.
- Glossary (5 terms)
- Open
Allegory, Altarpiece, Commission, Mythological, Patronage
Allegory
Where the `story? of a work has a deeper underlying meaning ? often used for the representation of grand, abstract ideas.
Altarpiece
An artwork behind a church altar featuring religious scenes or imagery which was usually the focus for the celebration of the Mass.
Commission
When an individual or organisation employs an artist to execute a particular project, the process and the resulting work are termed a `commission?.
Mythological
Refers to figures and events from myths which are the ancient stories that usually explain the origins of historical or natural phenomena.
Patronage
The support given to artists by an individual or organisation, usually through buying or funding their work.
- Credits Acquired from the Trustees of the 7th Duke of Sutherland, partially in lieu of inheritance tax, with the aid of the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Art Fund (with a contribution from the Wolfson Foundation) and the Scottish Executive 2003
- Medium Oil on canvas
- Size 75.80 x 57.60 cm (framed: 103.00 x 84.00 x 15.00 cm)
- Do they look like real women to you or not? What is it about them that makes you think this?
- What words can you think of to describe the women depicted in these art works?
- Which Venus do you find the most beautiful - and why?
- How do these art works compare to modern images of beautiful women?
- Who would you say has "goddess status" today, and why?
- Who do you think would have owned these works of art when they were made and where do you think they would have been displayed?
- How does the lack of eye contact with most of these Venuses make you feel when you look at them?
- Why do you think that artists such as Titian were so interested in ancient art and literature?
- Why do you think artists have chosen to portray female nudes so often in the past?
- How do the twentieth-century Venuses compare to the older ones?
Fame
Titian was one of the most famous living artists of his time. Like Picasso in the twentieth century and Damien Hirst today, Titian was in great demand as an artist and became very wealthy.
