Evening star., 1928-05-06

Venus When Michelangelo saw Danae
he said. "Oniy Titan deserves the
name of painter" When Philip III of
Spain was told that the fire had de-
stroyed part OF the great Prado Mu-
scum at Madrid, his first question was
rs Titian's 'Antiope' saved?" Yes"
they told him THAT is a comfort"
said the King, "the rest could be re-
placed"
The old master painted Venus again
and again. the Venus" of the Uffiz
Gallery at Florence, rivaling GiorgioneS
the Venus with the Lutte Player"
in Dresden: the Farnese Venus" at
The Hague: the Toilette of Venus" III
the Ate Pinakothek, at Munich; the
Venus and AdoniS'' of the National
Gallery: at Madrid two voluptuous
pictures of Venus amusing herself with
musicians. and a great canvas detailing
the Feast of Venus" In the "Baccha-
male" talSo in the Prado) there is jolly
spirit of RubenS and Franz Halls, and a
little more. love loosenS all bonds ard
the cup which the tairest of the women
holds up in her hand bears this philoSo-
phical inscription: Who drinks without
drinking again knows not what drink
ing is" Finally. the two aspects of
Titian's taste appear together in his
most famous picture Sacred and Pro-
fame Love: every one knows how the
BorShcSe Gallery, at Rome. refused
$500. 900 offered for this picture by an
American millionaire. The eye Of the
world has seen mostly the invitirg
figure at the right; but the robed lady
at the left twhom rumor identified with
the daughter of the painter Palma
Vecchio} is one Of the faireSt portraits
in all painting,
Let us be chary of superlatives, and
nevertheless accord to Titan, greatest Of
all coioriStS. the further title of great
est portrait painter in the history Of
his art. The finest function of painting
is to portray character and SOUL as
the function of sculpture is to show
the body in its nobility and perfection;
painting decays today because pho
Biography has encroached too success
fully upon its ancient field. even sur
passing it occasionally in Transforming
mediocrity into beauty and distinction
but in the heyday Of the art it was the
portrait that lifted painting TO its
highest excellence Titan laviShes his
genius IN this realm. and beStowS i'm
mortality with unStinting hand upon a
hundred men and women, Some be
leaves nameless. like the "Nohleman' at
Dresden The Physician of Parma" and
The Man with the Glove" Sometimes
we know them only by carelessly
chosen names, like Bella and Flora
more often he labels his heroes and
heroines and Pope Paul III and Arch
bishop Filippo of Milan Gin the Museum
at New York., and Alfonso of Ferrara
and Laura de Dianti have come down
to us with all the glamour of actual his
~
traits are those which the artist made
of his daughter Lavinla and of him
self: he paints his own features merci-
lesslv. showing himself bent and
wrinkled with age, for even Titan had
10 die.
Titian's V0iuminous Work.
Only century of life could have
given him time for his uneauaied fer
tility. the museums of Europe are full
of his work, and every piece is worthy
of him In 15s7 he extended his sway
to Spain by accepting the invitation Of
Charles v TO come To Augsburg and
paint the ruler of the Holy Roman
Empire: he did not flatter Charles. but
produced one Of the most perfect por-
traits in existence; and the King. with
taste and generosity. showered gifts
upoh tAc "a SAst Ao4 hsaAAs years rIOKH
that time on the painter moved among
empcrors and popes as his natural
company When Henry III of France
came TO Venice one OF the homes at
which he stayed was that of Titan;
and the painter. as if to show that he
was royal. too. presented the King with
every picture in the house that reused
the monarch's interest.
The great Titan died in 1876, one
Of the victims of the plague which
killed $4,000 of Venice's 100000 popu-
lation. After him Venice had only two
men worthy 10 be named his heirs
Tintoretto. his pupil. and Veronese. his
friend. Tintoretto. l. e., Jacopo Ro-
busti, got his name from the fact that
he Was the sOu nf f;vor tTfufarn1