Artist Research: Outline

October 15, 2013.  10:35 PM to 12:08 AM.

Here is the outline for my research project.

A. Objective Research (THE FACTS): 

i. Born in Pieve di Cadore, a small Italian town, and named Tiziano Vecillio, also known as Titian.  Lived from around 1490 to 1576.  Moved to Venice at the age of 10.

ii. Studied under the famous Giovanni Bellini in 1507, then later Giorgione.  Worked with Giorgione on murals in the "Fondaco dei Tedechi" in Venice from 1508 to 1509.  In 1511 he painted his famous frescoes in the "Scuola del Santo" in Padua.  Painted many famous portraits such as the "La Schiavona" and the "Portrait of Gerolamo Barbarigo".  Painted a mural, the "Assunta", for the Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari church in Venice in 1518.  Between 1519 and 1528, he also painted the "Pala Pesaro" for the same church.  In 1516 Titian began painting commissions for Alfonso I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara in his castle.  He also painted works for the court of Mantua starting in 1523.  In 1532 he took on many wealthy clients such as the Duke of Urbino, and the court of Pope Paolo III Farnese.  

Titian is renowned as the greatest painter of the Venetian school, and an important artist of Italian Mannerism and the Renaissance. He painted religious, mythological, and portrait scenes, usually commissioned by a church or court.  His work was praised for its unprecedented use of color and movement. 

B. Subjective Research (THE OPINIONS): 

i. Titian was one of the first painters to focus not so much on strict observationalism, but on employing light and color for more beautiful results.  Whereas Florentine painters made sketches on paper and copied them perfectly onto canvas, Venetian painters like Titian sketched on the canvas and made changes as the painting evolved, prioritizing light and color. 

His technical skills with frescoe and oil paint are indisputably excellent.

ii. Of course, Titian worked to earn a living, but as a Venetian painter he was also very concerned with the expressiveness of color.  There is also fondness for  mountains and landscapes in his work--in fact, the first Venetian painting to be classified as a landscape was done by him in 1552. The mountains reminded him of his hometown.

C.  Personally, I admire Titian's skill.  His ability to render the textures of various fabrics and the human body are amazing, and his use of color is often eye-catching.  However, I am not particularly drawn to his style as much as John Singer Sargent's.  Titian's work is beautiful, but very technical; Sargent's mark-making is more intriguing to me.  His brushstrokes are more soft and natural, whereas Titian's are more precise and posed.  I prefer Sargent because he more accurately portrays warm, fuzzy feelings through his paintings, if that makes sense.

D. Gather 3-5 images of this artists work. (NOT a screen grab, cite the images)

i. 

"Man with a Glove", 3'3'' x 2'11'', oil on canvas, 1520 (http://www.ranker.com/pics/N63405199/man-with-a-glove-artwork-photo-1)

ii. 

"Man with a Quilted Sleeve", 2'8'' x 2'2.1'', oil on canvas, 1509 (http://www.ranker.com/pics/N63613966/a-man-with-a-quilted-sleeve-artwork-photo-1)

iii. 

"Assumption of the Virgin", 22'8'' x 11'10'', oil paint, 1516-1518 (http://www.ranker.com/pics/N8488384/assumption-of-the-virgin-artwork-photo-1)

iv. 

"Bacchus and Ariadne", 5'9'' x 6'3'', oil paint, 1520-1523 (http://www.ranker.com/pics/N529392/bacchus-and-ariadne-artwork-photo-1)

v. 

"Danae", 3'6.2'' x 6'1.6'', oil on canvas, 1553-1554 (http://www.ranker.com/pics/N63221615/dana-artwork-photo-1)