TITIAN AND VENETIAN PAINTING

Scholarly and exacting, Cole delves into the history of Venetian painting to describe the influence of various masters on Titian’s phenomenal talent. Do not look to this book for information about the artist himself; Cole excludes all but a few biographical details. What he does offer, however, is an intellectually rigorous and elegant assessment of the evolution of Titian’s style, which was startlingly original. Titian’s work was marked, even in his youth, by a distinct use of tonality to heighten the sense of light. In this, Cole considers the artist’s work “unprecedented” and emphasizes the way in which Titian’s evocation of illuminated space brought the picture plane toward the viewer, almost as an extension of physical reality. Cole considers this the key stylistic breakthrough but certainly not the only one: Titian also learned to evoke flesh and fabric with a rare sensuality and, in his startling compositions, gave his figures a dynamism and psychological weight that still compel attention. Titian was, in short, a genius, and without ever belittling his subject’s talent, Cole thoughtfully contextualizes his work, and illustrates, quite literally, the cross-pollination of images during the 15th and 16th centuries. Initially inspired by Giovanni Bellini and Giorgione, Titian later turned to the work of Michelangelo and Raphael, studying their images without ever limiting himself to their solutions. While Titian’s style “lacks the mathematical precision and clarity of the central Italian painters,” Cole writes, “it gains in energy and majesty.” By any measure, Titian’s technical mastery was remarkable, as was his career: the artist lived well into his 80s and produced an extraordinary amount of work that had a profound impact on Western art up until the 20th century. While this may not be new art historical terrain, Cole’s approach is forthright, illuminating, and utterly devoid of academic obfuscation. (8 color, 119 b&w illustrations, not seen)