Titian[画家提香]

TizianoVecellio(c.1488/90-1576)-knowninEnglishsimplyasTitian-wasaremarkablyversatilepainter,equallycomfortablewithawiderangeofgenresandsubjects.Unlikemanyartistsfromhistorywhoseworkhasbeenappreciatedonlyaftertheirdeath,Titianenjoyedfameandsuccessthroughouthiscareer,whichspannedoversevendecades.BasedinVenice,TitianreceivedcommissionsfrommanylocalpatronsandtheVenetiangovernment,aswellasmanydistinguishedfiguresfromfurtherafield,suchasthePope,theGermanemperorandtheKingofSpain.Titian'scontemporarybiographer,GiorgioVasari,praisedhisskillasacolourist;theartist'scarefulmodellinganddepthofcolour,showntoespeciallygoodeffectinmythologicalworkssuchas'BacchusandAriadne'(1520-3)and'TarquinandLucretia'(1569-71),continuetoimpressviewersinthetwenty-firstcentury.Inadditiontohissuccessinrepresentingpaganmythologicalthemes,hisskillasaportraitpainteralsowonhimmanyprestigiouscommissions,whilehisrenownasapainterofreligioussubjectsresultedinthecreationofhigh-profilealtarpieces,aswellasindividualworksforprivatepatrons.ThisnewmonologuecombinesPeterHumfrey'sscholarlyyetaccessibletextwith200beautifulreproductionsofTitian'sworks,fromoilpaintingsandfrescostopreparatorydrawings.Carefulattentionhasbeenpaidtothescaleandqualityoftheimages,allowingtheworksandtheirvividcolourstobeshownintheirtrueintensity.ThebookisaperfectintroductiontotheworkofthisoriginalandinfluentialRenaissanceartist.