Danaë

In this painting Titian exhibits his use of colorito, which is when color is used in a dominating manner in the work. The color helps depict the story of the painting, which involves Jupiter seducing Danaë. The story explains how Danaë was locked in a tower by herself, which led to a life of loneliness and obscurity. Jupiter, the king of gods, came upon her and used his divinity to impregnate her. This eventually led to her giving birth to Perseus. [2] Titian was known for his mythological story-telling with his artwork, and this is clearly no exception. [3] Jupiter is represented in this work as a cloud of gold, possibly to represent his mysticality. Gold was also a color that represents power and wealth. Furthermore, the clean, white sheets represent the innocence and purity of Danaë. Additonally, the distant background also serves as a disconnect between Danaë and society. Titian uses a beautiful blue to represent the serenity of the outside world, but the implementation of perspective also shows how distant Danaë is from society. Another interesting idea about this painting is that it is rumored by scholars to visually quote Michelangelo. Titian was known to be a continuous studier of the motifs and subjects in the works of Michelangelo. [1] This provides a connection between painting in Rome and painting in Venice.


[1] Freedman, Luba. "Apelles, Giovanni Bellini, and Michelangelo in Titian's Life and Art.

[2] “Danae.” Artble, August 10, 2017. 

[3] Terisio Pignatti, and David Piper. Titian.

Titian

“Danae.” Artble, August 10, 2017. https://www.artble.com/artists/titian/paintings/danae.

Terisio Pignatti, and David Piper. Titian. New York, New York: Rizzoli, 1981.

Freedman, Luba. "Apelles, Giovanni Bellini, and Michelangelo in Titian's Life and Art." Artibus Et Historiae 34, no. 67 (2013): 251-73. Accessed November 4, 2020. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23510254.




Image: Titian. 1544. Danaë. painting. Place: Museo e gallerie nazionali di Capodimonte. https://library.artstor.org/asset/SCALA_ARCHIVES_10310197960.

Titian. 1544. Danaë. painting. Place: Museo e gallerie nazionali di Capodimonte. https://library.artstor.org/asset/SCALA_ARCHIVES_10310197960.

1544

Jared Kreis

(c) 2006, SCALA, Florence / ART RESOURCE, N.Y.

117 x 69cm, Oil on canvas

Painting

Museo e gallerie nazionali di Capodimonte, Naples, Italy