Titian, painter of poetry ... a series of mythological paintings commissioned by Philip II of Spain, king as devout as he is fond of erotica

3. Titian, painter of poetry
... a series of mythological paintings commissioned by Philip II of Spain, king as devout as he is fond of erotica

4. TITIAN
“Poesie” for Philip II

7. a scene of rape (abduction) …
Europa, Phoenician princess:
... I’m sprawled helplessly on the a bull's back, my clothes are in disarray.
Zeus:
... that was such a fun day. The water was really warm.
(by the way, i'm the bull)

8. TIZIANO Vecellio
Rape of Europa
1559-1562
Isabella Stewart
Gardner Museum,
Boston

11. Danae totally fulfills all the requirements for the position of damsel in distress …
her dad, King Acrisius, locks her in a bronze chamber (the Oracle of Delphi told him that she'd give birth
to a son who would kill him)
later, when Zeus impregnates her with Perseus as a shower of gold, Acrisius locks her in a chest and throws
her in the sea

12. TIZIANO Vecellio
Danae receiving the
Golden Rain
1553-1554
Museo del Prado,
Madrid

17. Surprise, surprise: Zeus gets all hot and bothered about the beautiful nymph, Callisto.
The trouble is that Callisto, follower of Artemis, has sworn to stay a virgin all her life.
Zeus, in his plan of seduction, disguises himself in the form of Artemis and seduces Callisto.
... Callisto is pregnant. Artemis finds out and transforms her loyal follower into a bear.
But, king of the gods does something nice:
places both mother and son in the sky, where they shine to this day as Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.
… tragedy or happy ending?

18. TIZIANO Vecellio
Diana and Callisto
1556-1559
National Gallery of
Scotland, Edinburgh

24. With Medusa's head and his winged sandals Perseus soars above Ethiopia.
When he gets to the ocean sees a girl chained toa big rock and instantly falls in love with the beautiful maiden.
Is Andromeda, the daughter of Cepheus, king of Ethiopia, chained to feed Cetus a giant, maiden-eating sea monster.
Perseus says he'll slay the monster in return for Andromeda's hand in marriage.
An epic battle ensues, and kills the monster.

25. TIZIANO Vecellio
Perseus and Andromeda
1554-1556
Wallace Collection,
London

30. Artemis was the original awesome lady with a bow, arrow and a fierce posse of nymphs ...
and with a temper which occasionally leads her to some misunderstandings
... and here's the moment when the young hunter bursts in where the goddess and her nymphs are bathing
(Artemis furious, will turn Actaeon into a stag ... haven't you ever been in the wrong place at the wrong time?)

31. TIZIANO Vecellio
Diana and Actaeon
1556-1559
National Gallery of
Scotland, Edinburgh

39. ... a goddess outraged to appear naked in front of a mortal
Actaeon wanders deep into the woods and he sees Artemis, naked as a baby mole rat.
Shocked and embarrassed, the goddess reaches for her trusty bow. But then she gets a better idea:
she transforms him into a deer.
As he runs away, Actaeon encounters his hunting dogs, who tear their former master apart with their vicious fangs.
Not a happy ending.

40. TIZIANO Vecellio
Death of Actaeon
1562
National Gallery,
London

44. ... the young Adonis pulling himself away from Venus, his lover.
Under the trees behind them at left Cupid lies asleep, with his bow and quiver of arrows hanging
from a tree …
this is not a time for love
… one day Adonis is gored by a wounded wild boar. Venus, in the sky in her chariot,
hears his cries but cannot save him.

45. TIZIANO Vecellio
Venus and Adonis
1554
Museo del Prado,
Madrid

49. olga_oes
TITIAN. “Poesie” for Philip II
TITIAN. “Poésie” pour Philippe II
images and text credit www.
Music Simply Three - Rain
created olga.e.
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50. Titian's connection with Philip II continued right up to the painter's final days.
Amongst the last pictures sent to Spain was the Tarquin and Lucretia, now in Cambridge.

51. TIZIANO Vecellio
Tarquin and Lucretia
1568-1571
Fitzwilliam Museum,
Cambridge

52. ... seduced by her beauty and her exemplary virtue Sextus Tarquinius raped Lucretia after threatening
to kill her if she rejected his advances
the next day she exposed him and committed suicide ...

56. Mythological paintings (poesie) for Philip II (1553-1562)
by Titian
Titian painted for Philip II several mythological scenes and allegories with strong erotic elements. In his
letters to Philip, Titian described these works as 'poesie' and 'favole', vague terms that can be roughly
translated as 'poetic inventions' and 'fables', respectively.
The terms have several implications: that the pictures had a literary source, that painting and poetry made
the same creative demands, and that the artist - like the poet - was entitled to a certain license in the
interpretation of his sources. The subjects of these pantheistic works are drawn chiefly from Ovid's
Metamorphoses.
The first of the poesie sent to Philip in 1554, Danaë with a Nurse, a more explicitly sensual version.
Two of Titian's best-loved poesie are Diana and Acteon, and Diana and Callisto, sent to Spain late in 1559
and today in Edinburgh. In their variety of pose, iridescent sensuality and rich colorism on a limited
palette, they set an example to generations of artists from Rubens and Velázquez to Watteau and Delacroix.