Importance of Drawing vs. Color

• Key question for artists/critics in the sixteenth century.
• Influenced art styles in various city-states.

Bellini's Techniques

• Examined Bellini's 'Madonna and Child.'
• Important distinction between color and drawing.
• Bellini utilized glazing, a Northern technique, creating luminous colors.

Differences in Painting Media

• Oil painting allowed for:
  • Glazing, which creates depth and intensity.
  • Soft modulation of light and shadow.
  • Longer working time (stays wet).
• Traditional methods (tempera and fresco) limits:
  • Tempera: Quick drying, opaque; use of hatching for form modeling.
  • Fresco: Stains wet plaster and cannot be reworked.

Venetian vs. Florentine Traditions

• Late 15th century: Venetians abandoned fresco due to unsuitable conditions.
• Florentine focus on drawing with line as paramount due to fresco's quick-drying nature.

Evolution of Oil Painting in the 1500s

• Techniques changed dramatically with artists like Titian, Vernese, and Tintoretto.
• Oil's flexibility allowed on-the-fly changes, moving away from rigid original drawings.
• Example: Giorgione's 'Tempest' showcases initial figure changes during the creative process.

Conclusion

• Titian exemplified innovative use of oil paint, emphasizing evolving ideas directly on canvas.