Titian: 130 Masterpieces

Tiziano Vecellio was the greatest artist of the Venetian School, recognized as immense genius in his own time and his reputation as one of the giants of art has never been sincerely questioned. Lomazzo described him as the 'sun amidst small stars not only among the Italians but all the painters of the world'. Poussin, Rubens, and Velazquez are among the painters who have particularly revered him. In many subjects, above all in portraiture, he set patterns that were followed by generations of artists. His free and expressive brushwork revolutionized the oil technique: His meticulous execution and concern for detail suggest the light, space, and variety of physical forms in his drawings too. He suggested textures through varying styles of line, carefully and economically placed hatchings even created air with line, as in the atmosphere that envelops the objects.