The Renaissance movement began in Italy in the fourteenth century and is a term that means rebirth. The Renaissance was a time of revival of artistic achievement based on the Classical world. With regards to literature, the Renaissance writers moved away from the religion oriented Middle Ages to subjects based on individual man in society. Fine art also changed in that individual expression and worldly experience became the two main themes of the era. The Renaissance period was triggered by increasing sophistication of society, where economic growth, educational pursuits, and political stability were key factors. With more libraries and academies springing up, people began to more thoroughly research the culture of the antique world. The Renaissance also brought with it wealthy patrons such as the Medic family of Florence, the Sforza family of Milan, and Pope Leo X and Pope Julius II. These patrons helped to push the limits of the Renaissance period in order to create works of unsurpassable beauty and detail. Leonardo da Vinci represented the essence of the Renaissance alongside Michelangelo and Rapheal. These artists created works that were long considered to be the classical notion of perfection. Famous Renaissance architects include Alberti, Bramante and Brunelleschi. Other famous Renaissance painters include Buonarroti, Botticelli and Titian.
Titian
Titian, or Tiziano Vecellio, was the greatest painter of the Venetian shool during the High Renaissance period. Titian was born around 1485 and was trained in the studio of Giovanni Bellini. He later befriended Giorgione and in 1506 assisted him with a fresco in Venice until Giorgione's death, which prompted Titian to finish all his unfinished paintings and frescoes. Titian primary great commission was for 3 frescos in Padua, and with the death of Bellini in 1516, Titian became the official painter of the Italian Republic. Titian produced great religious works, mythological paintings, and skillful portraits. Titian loved strong and simple colors, strength of contrasts between figures and backgrounds, and magnificent architectural motifs. Titian's greatest mythological works include the Worship of Venus, The Bacchus adn Ariadne, and the Bacchanal. Titian's style changed dramatically with the death of his wife in 1530. His art became more subtle and meditative in comparison to the passion of previous works. Titian's fame began to spread throughout Europe and in 1533 he was appointed court painter to emperor Charles V, and even gained the title of Count Palatine and Knight of the Golden Spur - something that no other painter had ever been honored with. During the last 20 years of Titian's life his paintings become more and more meditative as he gently merges colors to create an immaterial effect. In 1550 he painted the Martydom of St Lawrence which contains Mannerist elements in the movement and types of figures. Titian's influence on later artists both within the Renaissance and later has been profound, and he is undoubtedly one of the most influential artists of his time.
