More than any other artist, Titian epitomizes Venice at the height of the Renaissance. His paintings reflect the history of Italy, the transition from a mature and gilded Renaissance to the eclipse of Humanism, brutally cut short by the dramatic events that were lead to conflict with the Empire and then Spanish rule. This is reflected in his painting, as it passed from the hedonism of the golden era of his youth to the dramatic and intensely expressive images of his maturity.
The long-lived Titian painted the portraits of kings and prelates: his descriptive gifts and capacity for psychological introspection allowed him to capture the image of the powerful of his time more effectively than anyone else. His magnificent Venetian colouring and grasp of form let him emphasize the majesty of his patrons, concealing their physical defects behind the formidable ability to encapsulate their characteristic features in just a few brushstrokes. Even more than his other paintings, the portraits speak of the links he had with his contemporaries and reflect his growing fame as an artist.
