Synopses & Reviews
Born in the mountains above Venice in the late fifteenth century, Tiziano Vecellio—or Titian—was the greatest painter of the Venetian High Renaissance. A poetic visionary and a technical master of oils, he painted everything, from frescoes and grand altarpieces to mythological stories and portraits—works described by his contemporaries as "mirrors of nature."
Sheila Hale's rich biography is the first since 1877 to examine all contemporary accounts of Titian's life and work as well as recent art historical scholarship, some of it previously unpublished. Her book charts the extraordinary transformation of Titian's style: from the radiant, minutely realized masterpieces of his youth, to the more freely painted work of his middle years, to the dark, tragic, sometimes terrifying visions of his old age. Drawing on the latest scientific examinations of his paintings, Hale seeks to explain the evolution of his methods and his art. In doing so, she also gives many different voices—from Titian's lifetime to today—free reign to explore, praise, and sometimes doubt his genius.
When Titian died in 1576, in his late eighties, he had spent the whole of his working life in Venice—the most celebrated city in Europe—traveling as little as possible despite the clamor for his presence at the great courts of the continent. He had witnessed wars, Ottoman invasions, and the rising Protestant threat to the Catholic Church. He had become the favored painter of both Charles V—the most powerful man in the world—and his son, Philip II of Spain, who became Titian's most important patron.
Sheila Hale's masterly biography presents Titian through the lens of the turbulent times in which he lived and explores how this innovative sixteenth-century master conveyed in his paintings a kind of truth that few other artists have been able to communicate, which has fascinated Titian's admirers and followers ever since.
Review
“This definitive biography of the great Renaissance painter in over a century is a landmark achievement.” Publishers Weekly, "Top 10 in Art and Architecture"
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“Impressive…entertaining…a feat of research…crammed with new or expanded or rethought information about this stubbornly mysterious giant” Waldemar Januszczak, Sunday Times (London)
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“A magnificent new biography…The elegance and energy of her narrative, together with a born biographers eye for detail, make…[this] eminently readable and profoundly authentic…” Jonathan Keates, Literary Review
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“It all makes for compelling reading…enriched by vivid anecdotes and gossipy snippets.” Independent
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“An engrossing new biography…a portrait of Titian in his time…which should endure as the standard Life for the next century” Financial Times
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“An exceptional biography of Titian…a superb portrait of the artist-an example of measured scholarship, judicious opinion, and telling framing detail” The Guardian
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“Hale provides subtle insights into Titians enigmatic last paintings…A scrupulous and exhaustive account that is informed by the latest scholarship, but admirably free of academic cant.” Daily Telegraph (London)
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“Scholarly, erudite, panoramic, endlessly inquisitive and as clear as can be.” Craig Brown, The Mail
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“Titian stands out among his peers as Shakespeare does among writers, and Sheila Hales authoritative and readable book is more than worthy of her subject.” The Economist
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“An excellent biography…Hales thorough research, judicious examination of evidence, lucid narrative style, and perceptive and illuminating interpretations of the major works are worthy of her great subject.” Booklist (starred review)
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“In this monumental book, Hale sets forth what may become the definitive biography of Tiziano Vecellio (c.1480-1576), better known as Titian. . . . This impressive, ambitious, scholarly, interdisciplinary . . . book straddles academic disciplines, including art history, history, and literature. Strongly recommended.” Library Journal (starred review)
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“Hales approach is to try to understand the times in which he lived, and she succeeds brilliantly in capturing the pulse of 16th-century Venice, where the artist spent his working life. . . . Highly readable.” Wall Street Journal
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“[A] magnificent account of the incomparable Venetian artist Titian and the world he lived in...Hale writes an elegant, even worldly prose...delicious as well as authoritative...For me, its the biography of the year.” Michael Dirda, Washington Post
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“Sheila Hales TITIAN takes on the heroic task of reconstructing this largely undocumented life. . . . Meticulous and fluid. . . . Hales biography captures the energy and colors of everyday Venetian life as brilliantly as a Canaletto painting.” New York Times Book Review
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“In reconstructing the largely undocumented life of the Venetian master painter, Hale also offers a dazzling look at the splendors of his city.” New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice
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“Hales new biography of Titian is a spirited account of self-invention.” California Literary Review
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“...a much needed volume...Hale directs her work in a magisterial way, never losing track of the main protagonist but also providing much more in her book; this is a portrait of a mans life, but also of his times.” The Art Newspaper
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andquot;Offers the kind of free-flowing and deeply intelligent analysis of a painterand#39;s career that can only be produced after long study and intimate familiarity with his subject. . . . Beautifully written and generously illustrated, and you feel both Nicholsand#39;s and Titianand#39;s minds working at every turn.andquot;
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and#8220;Provocative. . . . nicely illustrated and well-produced. . . . It offers a challenging alternative view of one of the most important artists of the Italian Renaissance. Recommended.and#8221;
Synopsis
The first definitive biography of the master painter in more than a century, Titian: His Life is being hailed as a "landmark achievement" for critically acclaimed author Sheila Hale (Publishers Weekly). Brilliant in its interpretation of the 16th-century master's paintings, this monumental biography of Titian draws on contemporary accounts and recent art historical research and scholarship, some of it previously unpublished, providing an unparalleled portrait of the artist, as well as a fascinating rendering of Venice as a center of culture, commerce, and power. Sheila Hale's Titian is destined to be this century's authoritative text on the life of greatest painter of the Italian High Renaissance.
Synopsis
and#160;Titian is best known for paintings that embodied the tradition of the Venetian Renaissanceandmdash;but how Venetian was the artist himself? In this comprehensive new study, Tom Nichols probes the tensions between the individualism of Titianandrsquo;s work and the conservative cultural and political mores of the city, revealing his art to be original inventions that undermine the traditional self-suppressing approach to painting in Venice. Rather, Nichols argues, Titianandrsquo;s works reflected his engagement with the individualistic cultures emerging in the courts of early modern Europe.and#160;Ranging widely across Titianandrsquo;s long career and varied works, Titian and the End of the Venetian Renaissance outlines his stylistic independence from his master, Giovanni Bellini, early in his career; his radical innovations to the traditional Venetian altarpiece; his transformation of portraits into artistic creations glorifying the individual; and his meteoric breakout from the confines of artistic culture in Venice. Nichols explores how Titian challenged the cityandrsquo;s communal values with his competitive professional identity, contending that his intensely personalized way of painting after 1550 set him apart from earlier artists and was done deliberately to defy the emulation of would-be followersandmdash;a departure that effectively brought an end to the Renaissance tradition of painting. Packed with 170 illustrations, this groundbreaking book will change the way people look at Titian and Venetian art history.and#160;
About the Author
Sheila Hale has known and often lived in Venice since 1965, when she began as a research assistant to the late John Hale, with whom she worked on Renaissance Venice and The Civilization of Europe in the Renaissance. Her guidebook to Venice, first published in 1984, was praised by David Lodge as "the best guidebook I have ever used" and by Eric Newby as "deserving a Nobel Prize." She has written other guidebooks, an architectural history of Verona, and articles for a number of papers, including the New York Times, the London Observer, and the Times Literary Supplement. Her book The Man Who Lost His Language was described by Brenda Maddox as "enlarging the language of love" and by Michael Frayn as "a triumph." Sheila Hale is a trustee of Venice in Peril and lives in Twickenham, England.