Titian: 10 Facts About the Venetian Master

Titian (Tiziano Vecellio, 1490–1576) was the leading painter of the Venetian school, active in 16th-century Venice. Born in Pieve di Cadore, his exact birth date is unknown. He apprenticed under Giovanni Bellini and was influenced by Giorgione, co-founding the Venetian style that emphasized color over design. Titian mastered color, notably in Venus with a Mirror (1555, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC). He was the first painter with a largely international clientele, serving Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and later Philip II of Spain. His portraiture, such as Equestrian Portrait of Charles V (1548, Museo del Prado), added psychological depth. His public commission Assumption of the Virgin (1516–1518, Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari) is Venice's largest altarpiece. He painted mythological works for Duke Alfonso d'Este, including Bacchus and Ariadne (1522–1523, National Gallery, London). His Venus of Urbino (1534, Uffizi) inspired Goya and Manet. For Philip II, he created the Poesie cycle of seven mythological paintings. Titian also taught El Greco in his Venice studio.