Titian's Venus of Urbino - Essay Example

? Titian's ‘Venus of Urbino’ Introduction The Renaissance is widely recognized as being a significant artistic and cultural turn from previous medieval modes of expression. In addition to an increasing willingness to examine humanist concerns, Renaissance era productions oftentimes demonstrate an increasing willingness to push the boundaries on subject matter. Still, one must consider that the very name Renaissance refers to a return to the Greek and Roman cultural epoch. Some of the most prominently incorporated thematic content from these earlier eras are from Greek and Roman mythology. One popularly incorporated mythological image in Renaissance art is the Roman goddess Venus. Venus is the Roman goddess of love, beauty, sexual seduction, and fertility. The sexualized nature of Venus’ mythological roots made her a ripe subject for Renaissance artists seeking to embrace this new freedom of expression. While perhaps not the most seminal incorporation of Venus imagery, Titan’s ‘Venus of Urbino’ painting is highly sensational in its depiction of a nude woman on a couch; indeed, Mark Twain even once referred to the work as a form of pornography. This essay situates Titan’s ‘Venus of Urbino’ within the context of the gender situation in Renaissance Italy and compares it with other Renaissance versions of Venus imagery, ultimately arguing that the image indicative of progressive Renaissance values, and to an extent an early incarnation of female objectification. Analysis In gaining a thorough contextual understanding of Titian’s ‘Venus of Urbino’ (Fig. 1) it’s first necessary to situate the work in relation to the socio-cultural values, artistic trends, and gender perspectives of the time of the work’s creation. Fig. 1 Venus of Urbino One prominent such consideration is the nature of the work as framed in a window like format. There is a great many connotations within such Renaissance window imagery. One theorist notes that, “the window was often viewed as an erotically charged space for both prostitutes and -- at certain times – ‘proper’ women.”1 While for ‘Venus of Urbino’ this sexuality is in part indicative of Renaissance moral liberalization, in the context of Venus imagery this work is highly sexualized relative to other works. While the image’s highly sexualized nature is clear, the extent that this sexuality is indicative of progressive Renaissance values, or rather an early incarnation of female objectification is a debated subject. While individuals such as Joan Kelly has notably argued in favor of female objectification, Chojnacki instead contends that the Renaissance witnessed a shift in favor of women’s rights. He writes, “The spatial dimension of the state’s regulation of sexual behavior was more concretely present to Venetians in the case of prostitution.”2 In this mode of understanding one could potentially view the image as one empowerment. Still, it’s important to consider the nature of nude prostitutes and courtesans as being models for Venus. The image then can even be argued to take on a subversive quality, rebuking increased state regulation of sexual behavior. While a plethora of artists implemented Venus imagery during the Renaissance, this subject was a cyclical theme in Titian’s work. One of Titian’s prominent implementations of Venus occurs in his oil painting ‘Sacred and Profane Love’. Featured in Fig. 1 below, this work shares with Titian’s ‘Venus of Urbino’ the nude depiction of Venus. While the central focus in ‘Venus of Urbino’ was on the Venus figure, in this image Venus seemingly plays a secondary role to the depiction of the bride. Still, scholars have also argued that the bride is actually a different representation of Venus. Tinagli notes, “the two women represent two aspects of the goddess of love, respectively the Celestial Venus (platonic love) and the Terrestrial Venus (sensual love). Nakedness stands here for the purity of spirituality.”3 Fig. 2 Sacred and Profane Love Within this context of understanding then, Titian is actively playing on the structural shifts in meaning between different visions of Venus. One of the prominent considerations when examining Renaissance nudes is situating them within the proper cultural context. Even as contemporary eyes oftentimes view such works as being stolid art, during their creation they oftentimes received criticism from religious authorities. While there are also more prosaic interpretations of ‘Sacred and Profane Love’, even in these understandings one is struck by the vibrant red and prominence of the Venus figure. In these regards, the figure is sexualized in a way that has comparative parallels with the ‘Venus of Urbino’. One also considers the strong lines and contours Titian implements in both images, with these striking contrasts constituting an strong aesthetic link between these images of Venus. Still, in this depiction the Venus takes on more of its mythological form and to a degree holds the aura of a spectre in its relations with the adjacent bride. One contrasts this with the seductive image of Venus in ‘Venus of Urbino’. While Titian’s work frequently uses the figure of Venus, a great number of other Renaissance artists also implement Venus imagery in their works. Within Titian’s Venus imagery of the universal characteristics, as evidenced in ‘Venus of Urbino’, is the situation of Venus within the 16th century context. Another variety of Renaissance work features Venus in the traditional mythological setting. One such prominent work is Cornelis van Haarlem’s ‘Venus and Vulcan at the Forge’. Fig. 3 Venus and Vulcan at the Forge This image is replete with Roman mythological imagery. Bull notes, “Venus is…directing the viewer towards one of the more expensive items – Minerva’s shield, decorated with the head of Medusa. It is unusual to find her in this role. You were much more likely to see Venus with other men rather than with her husband.”4 This understanding is highly relevant to the contextualization of Titian’s ‘Venus of Urbino’ within the context of Renaissance art. In these regards, one comes to consider the nature of the ‘Venus of Urbino’ as residing without a male in the image. In the seductive pose, one considers the nature of gender positioning. Within film theory one of the prominent notions is that of the male gaze. It seems to a degree that Titian has situated the Venus within this context of sexuality. Indeed, when one considers the nature of shifting Renaissance gender relations the nature of the woman as subordinate and the object of the male gaze becomes more pronounced. Kelly notes, “Renaissance ideas on love and manners…expressed this new subordination of women to the interests of husbands…All the advances of Renaissance Italy…worked to mold the noblewoman into an aesthetic object.”5 In these regards, Titian’s ‘Venus of Urbino’ can be understood in terms of one of the earliest incarnations of female objectification. In terms of strictly aesthetic form there is a similar emphasis on shape between Titian’s version of Venus and van Haarlem’s. Still, there is a more pronounced austerity in this work, with Venus covering her bosom. Other prominent articulations of Venus have emerged in terms of sculpture. As one might consider a great degree of notable Venus sculpture emerged during the Renaissance. One such notable structure is that of Venus by Giambologna (Fig. 3). While the structural nature of this artwork obviously differs from Titian’s ‘Venus of Urbino,’ there are also a number of comparative elements. One considers that in both works the Venus is not only the central focus, but is placed on a sort pedestal. With the ‘Venus of Urbino’ one witnesses this, as the image is the central seductive focus, whereas with Giambologna’s work the Venus literally stands as four fauns Fig. 4. Venus look on. Still, this sculptural image seems slightly different in tone. This Venus appears slightly conservative, even ashamed, as she is depicted covering her bosom. One also notes that the fountain nature of this work. Bull states, “water often helped to wash away sinful desires and in other gardens status of Venus were displayed in fountains or grottoes.”6 In these regards, the water can be argued to function as a purifying agent in terms of Venus’ seductive nature; this is further complicated when one considers that prostitutes where oftentimes used as nude models for these Venus depictions. To a degree then this structural signification of Venus can be argued to be in dialectical relation to Titian’s ‘Venus of Urbino’. Conclusion In conclusion, this essay has examined how Titian’s ‘Venus of Urbino’ fits into other versions of Renaissance Venus imagery. Within this context of understanding, the work has been situated in terms of pervading theories of Renaissance gender values, noting that it wavers between progressive empowerment, and female objectification. The work has also been contextualized relative to other Renaissance depictions of Venus. In these regards, it’s noted that relative to other of Titian’s works this image is highly seductive. One considers both its cultural positioning and its aesthetic form in term prominent contours and contrasts that highlight seductive bodily elements of the Venus. Still, to extent it also functions in a dialectical relation with other artists’ depictions of Venus imagery. References Bull, Malcom, “Venus,” ch.5 of Mirror of the Gods (Oxford, 2005), 182-222 Chojnacki, Stanley, “Gender and the Early Renaissance State,” in Women and Men in Renaissance Venice (Baltimore, 2000), 27-52. Kelly, Joan, “Did Women Have a Renaissance?” in Women, History, and Theory (Chicago, 1984), 19-49. Tinagli, Paola, “Female Nudes in Renaissance Art,” ch 4 of Women in Italian Renaissance Art Manchester University Press, 121-148 Wolfthal, Diane, “The Women in the Window: Licit and Illicit Sexual Desire In Renaissance Italy,” in Sex Acts in Early Modern Italy, ed. Allison Levy (Aldershot, 2010), 57-76. Read More