At the same time as the Dalí exhibit, the High was featuring works from the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh. The above pictured Diana and Callisto by Titian and its sister work Diana and Actaeon were the highlights of the show. This piece was particularly important to me because I had referenced it on a paper analyzing the works of Peter Paul Rubens through the influences of Titian and the Roman realist, Caravaggio.
Titian, or Tiziano Vecelli, lived from approximately 1490 till 1576. He was a master of the Renaissance Venetian style, emphasizing vivid colors, painterly (or loose) brushwork, and naturalism of figures. Some of his most famous works, Diana and Callisto included, come from a series done for Philip II of Spain from 1550-1576 named "Poesie" and inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses. The other topics include Venus and Adonis, Danaë, the two Diana's, Perseus and Andromeda, and the Rape of Europa. The Death of Actaeon was started, but never completed.
3 Random Facts!
- The Diana and Actaeon was sold to the National Gallery of Scotland in February 2009 for $71 million. The Diana and Callisto is up for purchase for the same price until 2012, when it will be offered to private collectors.
- Titian's marriage to a woman named Cecilia legitimized the birth of their first son. They had three more children, but Cecilia died giving birth to their daughter Lavinia in 1530, 5 years after their marriage. Lavinia would later also pass away prematurely during child birth in 1560, 6 years after her marriage.
- Titian died of the plague in Venice in his mid-eights (his age/birthday is unsure). He was the only victim of the plague to be given a church burial. His son and assistant, Orazio, died shortly thereafter of the plague and their mansion was looted by thieves after their deaths. ( :( )
"It is not bright colors but good drawing that makes figures beautiful." - Titian
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