The San Francisco call., 1899-10-16

goons; It still relied upon color rather
than upon drawing; on an appeal to the
senses rather than TO the intellect; on
texture rather than action. But the Bel
lini were still essentially devoted to reli-
gious or historic art They swere not
destined to be frankly psychological and
to embody in paint the dreaminesS of the
sea haze, the intangible phases of the
landscape the senSuOuS delight OF drift
ing on the lagoons by night, the content
that comes from ignoring the conscience
and opening the arms to all physical de-
lights This was reserved for their sue
cessors
Titan was born in l47f of the noble We
cellf family at Pieve di Cadore, in the
Alpine region north of Venice. Atthe age
Of or 10 he was brought to Venice to
study painting, first in the studio of the
Mosaicist Zuccato, and later under the
gentle Bellini. He finally appears to have
passed into the extensive workshop of
Giovanni Bellini, who for many years had
been and was long after TO remain the
supreme ruler of Venetian painting
But the impress that young Titan re-
ceiyed from these last representatives of
the early renaissance was neither strong
nor lasting, for his spirit was that of the
new age and MS fellowship with the young
men waiting like himself, for leader to
appear. Such leader came in Giorgione,
the sensuous poet-painter, the dreamer of
idyls: no older than Titan, but with the
spark of intuition, of genius, which he
lacked. The two young men became close
associates under Giorgione's material as
we'll as ideal guidance. 1t is at times as
difficult to distinguish the contemporary
works of these two young artists as those
of the famous Greek seulptors, ScopaS
and PraXiteles, SO deeply had Titan be-
come impregnated from the stronger
spirit. The association lasted until Gior-
gione's death; the artistic dependence
never quite ended.
Titan was slow in attaining fame. Not
until his thirtieth year, in 1907, when he
assisted Giorgione in decorating the pal
ace called Fondaco del Tedeschi does he
seem to have acquitted an Independent
reputation On Giesgione,s premature
of his friends unfinished pictures. Almost
Immediately he received his first mpor-
tant Independent commission, for a Sc
ries of sixteen frescoes IN the Scuola del
Santo at Padua. He failed to show in
them any special proficiency in the style
of grand composition.
A glance at what is known of Titians
pictures up to this time shows but few
landmarks. The Man of Sorrows" Is.
Rocco, Venice) typifles his study under
Bellini; the 'Zingarella" Virgin (Vienna).
about 1900 with the added earthiness that
was Titian's, while the Pope Alexander
VI Presenting Bishop to St. Peter"
(Antwerp) painted toward 1902, shows
complete and also marks the first step in
his series of great portraits. All 1itians
works up to about 1o05 are religious sub
jects, not varying fundamentally from the
Belini and Gina type. but. soon after
Titan, under Giorgione's guidance, enter
ed the enchanted sphere of poetic allie
CORY, where, unlike religious art there
was no tradition to prevent completely
original treatment. However graceful are
Titian's works at this time such as the
Baptism of Christ in Rome Capitol
he is not yet master. He finds him
self, though still in a Giorgione garb. in
the two allegories called 1.-The Three
Ages and the famous Sacred and Pro-
fame Love- probably painted just before
Giorgione's death. Even In his early
treatment of these themes the aroma of
Giorgione's poetry has evaporated 1t is
true that the sensuousness has not vet. as
II will later lapse into complete sensual
itv. but Titan already shows in the PRO
fame Love- his delight in the splendors of
the female form.
After his Paduan work Titan signal
iZed his return to Venice by superb "St
Mark EnthToned Among Saints Q512).
and then, aspiring to a more public rec
ognftion of his position, he began. in 1913
an attempt to dispossess of his MONOPOLY
the aged monarch. Giovanni Beliini Ii
tian's appointment as state painter help
ed to procure him the favor of his first
great art patron, Alfonso d'Este. Duke of
Ferrara, for whom he painted religious.
allegorical and NEUROLOGICAL subjects. as
well as portraits. for many years The
famous "Christ and the Tribute Money!
In Dresden was painted for him Titfan's
male portraits at this time still had the
gentle, poetic melancholy of Giorgione,