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| I think this may be the most beautiful altarpiece (certainly at the top of my list)—Titian's Assumption, over the altar of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, aka just simply the Frari, in Venice. [To see more churches from around the world, go here.] |
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It really is beautiful. How did I miss this?
ReplyDeleteThe lighting is wonderful. Tom The Backroads Traveller
ReplyDeleteI recently saw this in a DVD “course” titled (as you would agree in this instance, at least) The World’s Greatest Paintings.
ReplyDeleteThe lecture by Professor William Kloss had this to say: “...It is a three-tiered composition that offers an entirely new approach to the subject, which was traditionally painted in a static manner. In Titian’s invention, the Virgin dominates the second tier and is anything but passive. Despite our knowledge that the Virgin is carried up to heaven, it is hard not to think that she supplies the power; she seems to almost swirl upward. The overall governing principle in the painting is not the three-tiered design but a triad of color: the powerful triangle of large figures in red. In the sky, note, too, that the golden glow gets brighter as it approaches the space between Mary’s head and shoulders and the hovering figure of God.” (Copyright © The Teaching Company 2010.)
Thank you,TG. I've spent a fair amount of time over the years staring at this painting. I'm no art historian, so it's nice to have one of my own impressions echoed by an expert—that is, that there is nothing passive about the Virgin here.
DeleteYou’re welcome. I’ll add a Wiki image here in case a reader of yours is craving a close up. It’s one of those that adapt to the size of the browser window. I wonder if it will be big enough when clicked on.
DeleteGorgeous! What a beautiful shot...
ReplyDeleteIt is a gorgeous shot. The light is perfect my friend!
ReplyDeleteV