Titian’s deep colors, rich textures, and
complex, carefully balanced designs give
his paintings an air of elegance and seren-
ity. Art historians consider his paintings
Worship of Venus, Bacchus and Ariadne,
and theVenus of Urbinoas among the fin-
est masterpieces of the late Renaissance,
and among the best examples of the “Ve-
netian school” of painting. The many com-
missions he received made him a wealthy
man, and by the 1530s Titian had settled
himself into the Casa Grande, one of the
finest mansions of Venice, where he enter-
tained a devoted following of students,
writers, and nobles.
In 1545, the artist moved to Rome at
the invitation of Pope Paul III. In Rome
he met Michelangelo and was deeply in-
fluenced by the ruins of the ancient city as
well as the art of Michelangelo and
Raphael. He was offered commissions for
works by prelates of the church and also
executed portraits of the popes, including
a profound portrait known asPaul III and
His Grandsons, that explores the complex
and mistrustful relationship between the
members of a privileged and powerful
family. Michelangelo’s strong, sculptural
figures influenced the figures in Titian’s
Christ Crowned with ThornsandMartyr-
dom of St. Lawrence.
Charles V, who had met the artist in
Bologna in 1530 on the occasion of his
coronation as Holy Roman Emperor, in-
vited Titian to Germany in 1548. Charles
made Titian an honorary count of the Pa-
latine, and Titian repaid the compliment
by painting the emperor intoLa Gloria,
completed in 1554. An equestrian portrait
oftheemperorasherodetovictoryatthe
Battle of Mühlberg became one of the
most famous royal portraits of the Renais-Titian’s “Sacred and Profane Love” contrasts different types of love through two different de-
pictions of the Roman goddess Venus.
Titian