Titian's "Venus of Urbino"
By: edited by Rona Goffen.
Contributors: Goffen, Rona, 1944-
Series: Masterpieces of Western painting
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 1997
Place of publication: Cambridge; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 168
Subjects: Titian, ca. 1488-1576; Titian, ca. 1488-1576 -- Criticism and interpretation; Nude in art
Other titles: Venus of Urbino
Description: A quintessential work of the High Renaissance in Venice, Titian's Venus of Urbino also represents one of the major themes of Western art: the female nude. But how did Titian intend this work to be received? Is she Venus, as the popular title - a modern invention - implies, or is she merely a courtesan? This book tackles this and other questions in six essays by European and American art historians.

Examining the work within the context of Renaissance art theory, as well as the psychology and society of sixteenth-century Italy, and even in relation to Manet's nineteenth-century "translation" of the work, their observations begin and end with the painting itself and with appreciation of Titian's great achievement in creating this archetypal image of feminine beauty.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 147-159) and index.