Bacchus and Ariadne
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Titian is commissioned by the Duke of Ferrera, Alfonso d’Este, to create a painting for a room within the castle at Ferrara. In the early 1520’s he creates this colorful piece Bacchus and Ariadne depicting the story of its namesaske, Bacchus and Ariadne, using aquamarine blue, a highly pigmented and expensive material, to create this painting displaying the prestige of Titian himself and the great riches of Alfonso d’Este as well. As well as Titian’s work, d’Este’s collection for this particular room consisted of works of bacchanalian subjects by Dosso Dossi and Giovanni Bellini [1].
The story of Bacchus, the god of wine, and Ariadne, Princess of Crete, starts on the island of Naxos. Here she is abandoned by her lover, Theseus, who’s ship can be seen fleeing in the far left [2]. Here, Bacchus is depicted leading a band of revelers, Titian captures the very moment that Ariadne and Bacchus make eye contact. The gazes of both main figures is very telling of the love at first sight that Titian wishes to portray. The clothing of Ariadne shows the sweeping movement of her turning to lock eyes with Bacchus, this action is accentuated by the red cloth encircling her. Titian captures Bacchus’s leap out of the chariot mid-motion by using the brightly colored cloth suspended above him to show the jump and the pining nature of it. Leading Bacchus’s chariot are two cheetahs, it is said that perhaps Titian chose cheetahs in order to make it clear that he was returning from his trip to India [3]. These exotic animals could also be a result of the Duke of Ferrera's own love of exotic pets, as he owned a zoo of different animals. The colorful palette, highlighting the two main figures, draws the viewer’s eye across the painting. The composition of this paining is formatted as two halves diagonally splitting the painting. The top half consists of the ultra blue, vivid sky matching Ariadne’s clothing. The bottom half is made up of earth tones such as brown and green as well as darker skin toned figures compared to the fair skin of both Bacchus and Ariadne. This again helps move the viewers gaze effortlessly across the painting.
[1] Cecil Goudl, “Titian,” Grove Art Online, 2003, https://www.oxfordartonline.com/groveart/view/10.1093/gao/9781884446054.001.0001/oao-9781884446054-e-7000085242.
[2] Titian, “Titian: Bacchus and Ariadne: NG35: National Gallery, London,” The National Gallery, March 1, 1520, https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/titian-bacchus-and-ariadne.
[3] Warren Tresidder, “The Cheetahs in Titian's 'Bacchus and Ariadne',” The Burlington Magazine, August 1981, pp. 481-485, 481.
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Source
Goudl, Cecil. “Titian.” Grove Art Online, 2003. https://www.oxfordartonline.com/groveart/view/10.1093/gao/9781884446054.001.0001/oao-9781884446054-e-7000085242.
Titian, active about 1506; died 1576. 1520-3. Bacchus and Ariadne. Place: The National Gallery, London, Bought, 1826. https://library.artstor.org/asset/ANGLIG_10313768527.
Titian. “Titian: Bacchus and Ariadne: NG35: National Gallery, London.” The National Gallery, March 1, 1520. https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/titian-bacchus-and-ariadne.
Tresidder, Warren. “The Cheetahs in Titian's 'Bacchus and Ariadne'.” The Burlington Magazine123, August 1981.
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Image Source:
Titian. Bacchus and Ariadne. Accessed October 6, 2020. https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/titian-bacchus-and-ariadne.
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