A century-long life: how the brilliant painter Titian Vecellio worked, loved and died

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Titian Vecellio lived for almost a century in the amazing Renaissance, which gave the world the greatest artists. After all, it was during these years that Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael were born, created and died. And by the end of this legendary era, only Titian "reigned" - a brilliant master of the brush, "who managed to create almost as much as all the great Italians of his time put together."

By the way, the exact date of birth is still in dispute between researchers: some claim that Titian lived for 90 years, others - 96. And, as regards the cause of death, there is also no consensus. However, be that as it may, God measured him three times, for the average life expectancy at that time was within 35 years. Such is he, the mysterious master of the great era.

Children's drawing that predetermined the fate of the future genius

"By nature, Titian was silent, like a true mountaineer", as he was born in the fortified city of Pieve di Cadore in northern Italy, an area with a harsh climate and harsh morals. And what is interesting, neither in the Vecellio family itself, nor in the whole of Cadore, the city of blacksmiths, weavers and lumberjacks, artists from time immemorial were not found. The highlanders believed that in life you need to do what will feed you. Therefore, boys had to work on a par with adults in blacksmiths or logging, and girls had to pick berries and herbs from which dyes were made for homespun cloth.

Visits to the temple were compulsory on Sundays. Once Titian, returning from the church under the impression of the icon painting with which the church was painted, took dyes from the home dyehouse and depicted the image of the Virgin Mary on the white wall of the house, in which one could easily recognize the features of his mother. And although the father, a military man and a statesman, would have preferred to see his son as a notary, his mother still insisted on sending her gifted son to study drawing in Venice. And so that it would not be so scary to let the boy go alone with him, his older brother Francesco was also sent.

Venice - the city of formation and search for a unique handwriting

Art critics often say that during the Renaissance, Florence preferred lines, but Venice - exclusively colors. Therefore, only Venice could give the world the best colorist Titian.

At the age of 13, young Titian will come to this amazing city to stay there forever and gain world fame for himself and Venice. In less than seventeen years, the young Titian will be awarded the title of the first artist of the Venetian Republic. In his work, young Vecellio does not skimp on a bright multicolor palette. At the same time, applying paints to the canvas not only with a brush, like all artists, but with a spatula and just with a finger.

And what is not a little interesting, before Titian, paintings were practically not painted on canvases. Painters created their works on boards, like Russian icons, and on the walls in the form of frescoes. But Venice had a humid climate, and such painting was not durable. Titian's innovation was the use of primed canvas and oil paints.

An ingenious master of psychological portrait

"King of painters and painter of kings" - so Titian was called by his contemporaries, as he was an excellent portrait painter. The images captured by him have been looking from the canvases for many centuries as if the souls of the portrayed are hidden behind the images.

With amazing accuracy, Titian painted portraits of his contemporaries, depicting not only external similarities, but sometimes contradictory features of their characters: hypocrisy and suspicion, confidence and dignity. The master knew how to convey both genuine suffering and sorrow.

Giorgio Vasari wrote that many influential figures of that time, including cardinals, popes and European monarchs, tried to order his portrait for him.

The Spanish and French kings, inviting Titian to their place, persuaded him to settle at the court, but the artist, having completed the orders, always returned to his native Venice.

When Titian was painting a portrait of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, he accidentally dropped his brush, and the emperor did not consider it shameful to stand up and hand it to the artist, saying:

In the 16th century, it was believed that being captured by Titian's brush meant becoming immortal. And so it happened. For more than five centuries, Titian's portraits adorn the galleries of world museums and excite the imagination of visitors.

Addiction and love of the great master

Titian was "a tall, stately highlander with a proud bearing and an eagle profile," who had indestructible health. His life was filled with many love stories, mostly with models. And being a model for Titian was considered a great honor.

Women of various classes: from countesses and marquises to courtesans with whom Venice swarmed, had the good fortune to be immortalized in the portraits of the brilliant painter. Titian did not like to portray thin women, he loved stateliness and portly beauty. His models were often with reddish-golden hair. From this, the hair color received the name - Titian.

Titian's love story for the beautiful Violanta, daughter of the artist Palma the Elder, had a scandalous aftertaste. The girl was not particularly modest and willingly agreed to pose - and not only for Titian. It is from her that the painter will write many of his portraits. Her appearance can be seen on many of the master's subject canvases. This novel caused a storm of indignation in the girl's father - Titian was twice her senior and was the same age as Palma himself.

And since in Venice there were more than 11 thousand courtesans in that era, it was quite natural that Titian, who was full of health, often resorted to the services of the priestesses of love.

However, the favorite of women took his wife not from puffy white-skinned Venetians, but brought from those mountainous places where he was from. Cecillia was his housekeeper for a long time, which did not prevent her from giving birth to Titian's children. Only much later will Titian marry her.

The thoroughness and slowness of the master, which so annoyed the customers

The artist created his masterpieces thoroughly and slowly, as if he knew that his life was meted out to be a very long one, and he had nowhere to rush. As he worked, he pondered a lot, pondering every stroke and brushstroke. For this, he was called "slow-witted" behind his back.

And if the work on the painting "did not go well", Titian unrolled the canvas facing the wall until better times. This led to scandals every now and then. Customers literally besieged Titian with reminders that all deadlines had already expired.

There was no limit to the indignation and complaints of Duke Alfonso D'Este, who had been waiting for a very long time for his portrait. However, when the order was nevertheless completed, the duke left all his displeasure and heartily admired the work of the master.

And once one of the customers thought that the work was not finished and he asked Titian to finish painting. And since the master had already left his autograph on the canvas: "Titian did it", he calmly wrote another word and the inscription already sounded "Titian did it, did it", and in the original it looked like this: "Titianus fecit, fecit".

Titian the Divine

Titian was fortunate enough to live an incredibly long life for that time. During his lifetime, he received the fame of the greatest colorist of all time and the nickname "Titian Divine". And what is quite surprising - until the end of his days, the master retained clarity of mind, sharpness of vision, and firmness of the hand.

They say that on the day of his death, he ordered a festive table to be laid for many people. He seemed to have decided to say goodbye to the shadows of his teachers and friends who had died for a long time: Giovanni Bellini and Giorgione, Michelangelo and Raphael, Emperor Charles V. He mentally said goodbye to them, but did not have time to start the last meal himself. They found him lying on the floor with a brush in his hand. He barely had time to finish his parting work - "Lamentation over Christ."

According to one version, Titian died after contracting the plague from his son, which, due to the damp climate, so often raged in Venice. Although if this were really so, then his body would have to be burned. However, the brilliant painter found his last refuge in the Venetian Cathedral of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari.

200 years later, a grandiose monument was created on the grave of the painter and the words were carved:.

Hall of the Hermitage at number 221 - Titianovsky

In St. Petersburg in the Hermitage there is a whole hall of Titian's masterpieces. It is located in the building of the Old Hermitage.

In addition to psychological portrait painting, Titian in his work often resorted to various types allegories.