About this artwork
Titian painted Venus and Adonis in 1554, in Venice, where he had been the leading painter for over three decades. He was about 66 years old and had been painting since the 1510s, producing the mythological and religious paintings that had made him the most famous painter in Europe. Venus and Adonis is one of the poesie, the series of mythological paintings that Titian made for King Philip II of Spain, and it is one of the most celebrated works of his late career.
The painting shows the goddess Venus trying to restrain her lover Adonis from going to the hunt. Venus is seated, her body twisted toward Adonis, her arms around his neck, her face turned up to his. Adonis stands beside her, holding a spear and looking away, his body tense with the desire to leave. A sleeping Cupid lies at the lower left, his bow and arrows beside him. In the background, a hunting party is visible, with dogs and horses waiting for Adonis. The sky is filled with luminous clouds, and the light falls from the upper left, illuminating the figures and casting the background in shadow.
The story of Venus and Adonis comes from Ovid's Metamorphoses. Adonis, a beautiful young hunter, was loved by Venus, who warned him not to hunt dangerous animals. He ignored her warning and was killed by a wild boar. Titian painted the moment before the hunt, when Venus tries to hold Adonis back, knowing that he will not return. The painting is a meditation on love and loss, with the goddess's desperate embrace contrasting with the hunter's determination to leave.
Titian made several versions of Venus and Adonis for different patrons. The Getty version is one of the finest, with the figures described in the rich, warm colors and the loose, expressive brushwork that are the signature of Titian's late style. The painting was made for King Philip II of Spain, who had commissioned a series of mythological paintings from Titian in the 1550s. The series, which Titian called poesie, or painted poems, included Danae, Venus and Adonis, Perseus and Andromeda, and the Rape of Europa. The paintings are among the most celebrated works of the Venetian Renaissance.
Oil on canvas, 106 by 133 centimeters. Titian painted with a loose, expressive touch, building the figures in thick, directional strokes of warm flesh tone. The body of Venus is painted in layers of pink and white, with the skin described by the color relationships rather than by drawing. The body of Adonis is painted in warmer tones of brown and red, with the muscles suggested by the direction of the brushwork. The landscape is painted in loose, atmospheric strokes of green and brown, with the hunting party barely visible in the distance. The sky is painted in soft, luminous layers of gold and pink, with the clouds built in thick, opaque strokes. The surface has the rich, worked quality of a painting built over many sessions.
The vertical format and warm palette make this print work well in a living room, bedroom, or study. The warm flesh tones, reds, and golden landscape colors pair with white walls, natural wood, and rooms with a traditional or romantic mood. The 16x20 or 18x24 size gives the figures room to read. The painting has a sensual, emotional quality that suits rooms with a warm or intimate mood.
This is a public domain artwork from the J. Paul Getty Museum. We print it on archival matte paper at sizes from 8x10 to 18x24 inches, framed or unframed.
