The "Rape of Europa" was painted by Titian from 1559-1562 and is full of sweeping lines and dark colors. I have visited the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum a few times and I do enjoy seeing this massive painting. Titian was said to have used very large brushes and even his fingers to achieve the effect that we see in the "Rape of Europa."
A current exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is "Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese: Rivals in Renaissance Venice." Masterpieces by the three greatest Venetian painters of the 16th century are on view. On loan from collections found all over the world, (including the Louvre and Prado) these paintings made their journey to Boston for this extraordinary exhibit.
The subject matter varies from portraiture to mythology to religious works.
An amazing grouping of “St. Jerome” by all three artists was shown side-by-side for comparison. I felt that Titian’s "St. Jerome in the Wilderness" (1570) to be one of the finest examples of a spiritual self-portrait by an artist.
After viewing the exhibition, if I were asked to vote for my favorite painter from the exhibition, I would choose Titian.
His famous "Venus in a Mirror" (1555) is here, on loan from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. I have enjoyed seeing this painting many times when visiting our nation’s capital. It is so very "Titian" with his signature use of luxurious upholstery and furs.
Titian’s painting "Flora," from the Ufizzi Gallery, Florence is considered to be an example of the ideal beautiful woman, or "Bella Donna" in Italian. I was quite taken with this painting. It reminded me of Rembrandt’s portraits which were to come a century later. Rembrandt was aware of these Venetian painters and perhaps was influenced by them.
Another lovely painting by Titian, loaned from the Museo del Prado, Madrid was "Venus and an Organist and a Little Dog" (1550). Again, the fleshy skin is one of Titian’s trademarks. It is pure genius to be able to make the skin appear so radiant and pearlescent as Titian is able to do time after time.
You can own your own Giclee print of "Flora" by Titian.
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