Titian, (Not Andre) the Giant

Madonna in Glory With The Christ Child by Titian

Tiziano Vecellio, known as, Titian, was the first Venetian artist to achieve fame in his own lifetime (c. 1487-1576) and to be employed by patrons outside Venice. Partly because he lived to the grand age of 90, he was able to produce a great body of work which ranged from dramatic mythological works to intensely human portraits. Few other artists had such an impact on their contemporaries and on the development of Western art in general. The impact, on artists of all generations, over the 500 years since his death, has been profound. He has been called, "The Sun Amidst Small Stars," the most perfect artist who ever lived.

Titian joined his teacher and mentor, Giorgione, as an assistant, but many Venetian patrons found his work more impressive. Titian came to be recognized as the leader of a new school of "arte moderna," which were paintings freed from the constraints of the conventions of earlier Renaissance painters.

What was Titian's astonishing secret? Why was he able to produce paintings that were light-years ahead of his contemporaries?

First and foremost, Titian had a wealthy clientele and so was able to afford the very finest pigments. Because Venice was the center of the European pigment trade it was possible to procure the finest grades of ultramarine (from lapis lazuli in Afghanistan), the best quality of azurite from Germany, and the much sought-after mineral pigments, including the yellow and orange arsenic-based colors. The extensive dye industries in Venice produced and imported superbly expressive pigments which were central to Titian's technique. The use of yellows and whites, for example, enabled Titian to produce breathtaking effects.

Another glimpse into the artist's method of working was that after finishing the underpainting of a scene, he would put the painting away and not look at it for months. Then he would retrieve it and, after much study, begin making corrections.

Titian was around 90 when the plague visited Venice and he succumbed to its ravishes. He was the only victim of the Venice plague to be given a church burial. Immediately after his death, his son and assistant, Orazio, died in the same epidemic. His large and elegant mansion was plundered by thieves shortly after his death.

Look here for a gallery of Titian's work. You will be mesmerized by their beauty.

Just paint it!