Titian

Titian was an Italian painter and the towering master of the Venetian Renaissance. Born around 1488, he dominated Venetian art for much of the sixteenth century, working for popes, kings, and emperors across Europe. He painted everything from tender religious images and sensuous mythological scenes to commanding portraits, and his rich, glowing color became legendary.

Over his long life his style grew freer and looser, until his late works were built from broad, expressive strokes that seem to anticipate much later painting. His mastery of color and his psychological depth influenced generations of artists. Titian is regarded as one of the greatest painters who ever lived and the central figure of the golden age of Venetian art.