Titian

Titian, born Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio, is traditionally dated to circa 1488–1490 in Pieve di Cadore and to 27 August 1576 in Venice. He was a leading figure of the Venetian school during the High Renaissance, renowned for his mastery of color, luminous tonalities, and expressive brushwork, and for advancing oil painting techniques that allowed rich textures and atmospheric effects.

Titian trained in Venice and is believed to have worked early in the circle of Giovanni Bellini, with influences from Giorgione. After Giorgione’s death, Titian secured major commissions and gradually developed a distinctive, flexible style that encompassed religious altarpieces, mythological scenes, and an expansive program of portrait painting. He became known for a painterly, color-focused approach that emphasized sensuous color, subtle shading, and dynamic composition, often using broad, loose brushstrokes to convey light and mood.

Notable works attributed to Titian include Venus of Urbino (c. 1538), the Pesaro Madonna (early 1520s–1526), and Bacchus and Ariadne (c. 1523). His later career saw extensive royal and noble patronage, including portraits and large altarpieces for courts and churches across Europe. He also produced monumental portraits of rulers such as Charles V and Philip II of Spain, helping to establish a royal image that combined authority, charisma, and psychological insight.

Titian’s influence extended beyond his lifetime. His coloristic approach and confident brushwork deeply affected fellow Venetians and later European painters, notably Rubens, Velázquez, and generations of artists in the Baroque period. His work is regarded as a high point of Venetian painting and a major milestone in the history of Western art.