Titian. Painting the flavor of the world

In the flamboyant Venice of the Renaissance, Titian (1488-1576) established himself as the absolute master of painting for over half a century. He revolutionized the art of portraiture, religious painting and mythological scenes, and was equally at home in intimate canvases and huge bursts of color. His inventiveness, productivity and longevity set him apart in Western painting, inspiring Velázquez as much as Rembrandt, Delacroix and Manet. A painter of the vital energy and flavor of the world, as much as of its drama, violence and injustice, he constantly reinvented himself over the three-quarters of a century of his career. He died, brush in hand, on the eve of his 90th birthday, leaving an exceptional legacy of shapes and colors.

By Cédric Michon, Professor of Modern History at Rennes 2 University, Director of Presses Universitaires de Rennes