Browse Items (177 total)

The oil on panel work was commissioned by an esteemed Venetian bishop by the name of Giovanni Michiel. The dominating subject of the work, located in the foreground and positioned slightly to the right, is Saint Francis of Assisi. The scene depicted…

In this painting, we see Saint Francis in the Desert after receiving stigmata, the crucifixion wounds of Jesus. Giovanni Bellini pulls the focus onto the details of the landscape in multiple ways. First, with regards to the composition of the image,…

In Greek mythology, Sisyphus is the founder and first sovereign ruler of modern Corinth (which was then Ephyra). After numerous attempts to trick the gods and cheat death, the gods finally catch up to him and punish him. Sisyphus’ sentence is to roll…

Commissioned by Mary of Hungary for the Binche Palace and painted by Titian c. 1548, Sisyphus documents the story of the King of Corinth, Sisyphus. Sisyphus was condemned to push a boulder to the top of a hill in the Underworld repeatedly, for the…

Sisyphus is a painting that depicts an old Greek myth. It was painted by Titian, who completed numerous commissions for mythological paintings including Bacchus and Ariadne, Diana and Actaeon, and the work discussed here, Sisyphus [1]. The myth of…

Titian, one of the most important members of the 16th century Venetian school, was an Italian painter during the Renaissance [1]. Titian was famous for his drastic use of color, where he used calculated brushwork and subtle tone to spread his…

In this portrait – believed to be a self-portrait of Marietta Robusti – the sitter gazes outward at the audience with a slight smile. Turned in a three-quarter pose toward the spinet, her left hand floats above the keys as if surprised by the viewer…

The Scala dei Giganti, which is depicted, is an entrance to the Doge’s Palace. Made of limestone and marble, this staircase is one of many representations of Venetian power and wealth. Although the staircase itself was commissioned to Antonio Rizzo,…

In this painting, we see Saint Mark preaching in Alexandria. Giovanni and Gentile Bellini pull the focus onto the details of the landscape in multiple ways. First, with regards to the composition of the image, Bellini scattered objects of Venetian…

In this painting, we see Saint Margaret, an Antioch virgin, emerging from a dragon’s severed body with a cross in hand. Titian makes Margaret the central figure in the painting in multiple ways. First, he makes her skin and clothing have much…