Venus of Urbino

Form

Complex textures in all parts, offset by the smoothness of the green tapestry

The contrast with green and red makes the woman stand out

Made on canvas opposed to wood because wood was rare in Italy, there were no trees

Oil quickly replaced tempera because oil takes longer to dry and you can work on it longer

• Mixing pigments with oil opposed to egg compounds, makes it smooth instead of chunky

Transitions of tone across her entire body which gives her a soft feel, don’t need the strong muscles to figure out where her joints are

Cherercuro: Lightening and darkening of the body to make it look realistic

• Made your paint translucent to get darkened areas, difficult to do
• About 15 layers of paint to layer her body

Surface was smooth because the oil becomes translucent causing reflection therefore it becomes shiny

Titan ground up glass to make it even more reflective

Titan emphasised (Hips and torso) and deemphasised (feet) proportions of her body

Soft diagonals going throughout piece

• Strong verticals

Function

Completed for the Duke of Vervino

Given to wife, not displayed publicly most likely hung in their bedroom

Don’t know if it is Venus, a cortison, or his wife

Venus is a representation of ideal woman, so it is questioned if it represented what his hopes and dreams for his wife

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Content

Seeing a dog in the portrait leads to fidelity

Very clean home, lots of minimal things, servants

Calling this “Venus of Urbino” doesn’t mean that it was for sure Venus, it is just named from people’s perceptions of the time

This woman is confident and is alluring the viewer

• hair frames her upper chest
• Roses symbolic for marriage and love
• Red bed sheets represent love
• Undone bed representing sex
• Pearls can be a sign of Venus (coming in from the floating shell she was coming in on)
• Myrtle Bush was a popular plant given at weddings
• Dog symbolizing fidelity and faithfulness

Trunk in back is a cassone which is widely used to hold clothing or a dowery

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Context

Trade represented Venetian Art

Rich and vibrant hues

• reds, golds, blues, greens

Canvas and oil paints in Europe

Titan is credited with the genre of reclining female nudes

Titan is a student of Giorgione

Females were usually asleep like this but changed the painting to have her awake in the end

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Learning Objective

16th c. Venetian Painting

Themes

• Ideal woman
• Sexuality
• Female Nude
• Male/ Female relationships
• Domestic Space
• Private
• Status
• Animals
• Portrait

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