Mad About Titian!

Titian, Madonna and Child with Saints Catherine and Dominic and a Donor, 1513-14, oil on canvas, 138 x 185 cm. Funazione Manani Rocca, Parma

I always knew Titian was a great painter. I have seen some of his works in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Frick, but nothing would prepare me for what I was to see at the MFA in Boston. As I had mentioned briefly on Friday, I made the trip from New York to Boston to see the exhibition Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese, a day before it was scheduled to close.

Titian, Portrait of Pope Paul III without the Camauro, 1543, oil on canvas, 137 x 88.8 cm. Gallerie Nazionali di Capodimonte, Naples

Getting up around 5 am. on Saturday morning was worth it! The curators of the MFA and the Louvre have put together an amazing collection of works by the three artists. All three giants proved why they hold their place as some of the most important painters in the history of art. But one above all came on top. Undeniably Titian was the master, the one who set the bar for the other two younger artists.

Titian, The Supper at Emmaus, 1533-34, oil on canvas, 169 x 244 cm. Musee du Louvre, Paris.

It is impossible to post images of all the paintings in the exhibit. I had to choose Titian since he made the biggest impression on me. His light, color, and use of paint reached a place very deep in me. The amount of beauty from these paintings made it all too surreal, too much of a good thing to come from a single man. But he did paint all these works, among other great altar pieces, portraits, and mythological scenes, now scattered through out the world.

Titian, Venus with a Mirror, 1555, oil on canvas, 106.8 x 136cm. National Gallery of Art, Washington.

Titian, Venus and Adonis, 1555-60, oil on canvas, 160 x 196 cm. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

If you went to see this show, consider yourself lucky. If you did not, I suggest to buy the catalog to get a sense of how beautiful the show was. Or if you feel like splurging a bit you can catch this fine collection at the Louvre in Paris, the next and final destination.

Titian, Portrait of Ranuccio Farnese, 1542, oil on canvas, 89.7 x 73.6 cm. National Gallery of Art, Washington

It has been a while since I saw great art, the painter in me was hungry for a show of this magnitude. It was very humbling to stand so close to these magical canvases and to study their every detail in hopes of learning how to paint like this great man.

Titian, The Entombment, 1559, oil on canvas, 137 x 175 cm. Museo del Prado, Madrid

A museum visitor came up to me after seeing me sketch The Entombment. She wondered if any one out there these days was painting as beautiful as the three Venetian masters; I gasped for air and told her that I hoped so. It would be a shame if this kind of beauty is lost.