Venus of Urbino
Titian
In The Lives of
Artists by Vasari, Michelangelo is quoted as praising Titians technique,
saying, “no artist could achieve more or paint better.” This excellence is
displayed in Titians 1538 oil painting, Venus
of Urbino.
In the foreground a young, nude woman, identified with the
goddess Venus, is reclining on a bed. The figure is based upon Titian’s mentor,
Giorgione’s own painting, Sleeping Venus.
Unlike what many of Titian’s criticizers have said, the figure was not meant as
a carnal work but simply a celebration of love within marriage. We know this
because not only was the work ordered to celebrate marriage but also in the background
of the work itself, servants unpack clothes from the bride’s marriage chest.
Many symbols permeate the picture plane from the figure
grasping of a handful of roses-a symbol often attributed to the Virgin Mary to
the myrtle bush in the background which was commonly found in wedding bouquets
of the period. The dog sleeping at the feet of the woman is a common symbol of
fidelity, symbolizing allegiance and faithfulness within relationships.
Overall, Vasari, who was a contemporary of Titian, praises the artist, saying
he has “has decorated Venice, or rather all of Italy and other parts of the
world, with superb paintings, deserves to be loved and respected by all
artisans and in many ways to be admired and imitated, like those other artisans
who have produced and still are producing works worthy of boundless praise,
which will endure as long as the memory of illustrious men.”
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