Celebrated for his use of expressive brush marks, which filled his paintings with dynamism, light and colour in a way not seen before in Renaissance art, Tiziano Veccellio became the greatest painter 16th-century Venice had ever known. In the first half of her beautiful new book, Susie Hodge explores Titian's fascinating life through his family, friends, patrons and commissions. Starting out as a young apprentice in the great city of Venice, Titian grew up surrounded with spectacular works of art, architecture and sculpture. His early influences and remarkable achievements are explained clearly with informative and attractive illustrations throughout. The second half of the book contains a comprehensive gallery of over 300 of Titian's major works. of art, each of which is accompanied by a thorough analysis of the artwork and its significance within the context of Titian's life, his rapidly changing technique and his body of work as a whole.

About the Author
Susie Hodge has an MA in the History of Art by Research from the University of London. She has written many books on art history and writes articles and booklets for art magazines and museums including the V&A,Tate and the Royal Academy.

Reviews
Art historian Hodge delivers a comprehensive survey of the life, art, and cultural milieu of Italian Renaissance painter Titian. Born Tiziano Vecellio around 1488, the painter moved to Venice with his family when he was nine and apprenticed as a mosaic maker. Learning from such well-known artists as Giorgione, he used the "intense pigments" available in Venice in paintings notable for their lush color and "freedom of style and approach" (for example, he often animated religious iconography with a sense of movement, portraying the Madonna in a "contrapposto," or twisted, position). After establishing his subject's biographical information, historical context, and artistic influences in the book's first half, Hodge examines Titian's paintings in roughly chronological order, unpacking the themes, style, and significance of famous works (Flora, The Venus of Urbino) and lesser-known pieces (Portrait of a Young Woman). While some of the background-including information on Venice's system of constitutional monarchy-can feel like filler, Hodge's stylistic analyses are cogent, and welcome context is provided via reproductions of paintings by Titian's instructors, Gentile and Giovanni Bellini; his rival, Sebastiano del Piombo; and his admirers, including Tintoretti and Manet. Art students will especially appreciate this primer on a key Renaissance artist. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (US) JULY 2024



Book Information
ISBN 9780754835530
Author Susie Hodge
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint Lorenz Books
Publisher Anness Publishing