Rivalries are evident in many parts of life. Businesses constantly vie with one another to increase sales, sports teams compete for championships, and politicians contend with one another for office. Competition is also present in the art world, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA)'s new exhibition, "Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese: Rivals in Renaissance Venice," which runs from March 15 through Aug. 16 in the Gund Gallery, very effectively examines the way that rivalry and competition shaped Venetian painting. Renaissance Venice
In the 16th century, Venice was one of the world's wealthiest and most influential cities. Palaces were decorated with large amounts of artwork, as were churches, governmental institutions, guilds and confraternities. The popularity of fine art led to a cultural flowering in Venice during which some of the world's most famous artwork was produced.
Venice's paintings, which can be considered a direct reflection of the lavishness of 16th-century Venetians themselves, are the focus of the MFA's new exhibition. Painting in this time period included depictions of beautiful figures dressed in sumptuous fabrics and surrounded by grand architecture. This over-the-top style was completely acceptable and, in many ways, expected. Arguably the three most important painters in that century were Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese. Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese
Titian (1488-1576) assembled, over the course of his long career, a patron list that included popes, kings and nobility. As the gallery's wall text suggests, his paintings are characterized by "vivid representations of textures." Titian became immensely important within his lifetime, and generations of artists were influenced by his work, including two painters with whom he would compete directly: Tintoretto and Veronese.
Tintoretto (1518-1594) purportedly trained for a brief period with Titian, but was, according to the gallery's wall text, kicked out of his workshop because Titian feared that he would be outdone by the young, ambitious Tintoretto. Not surprisingly, much of Tintoretto's work resembles that of Titian.
Veronese (1528-1588) arrived on the scene somewhat later than Tintoretto. His paintings are characterized by brightness and elegance. As the gallery's wall text suggests, "Titian welcomed this new arrival, treating Veronese as a protégé and even using him as a pawn to thwart Tintoretto." Thus, a rivalry that would develop into a fierce competition over the decades was established. Of Venice, Boston and Paris
According to Frederick Ilchman, the Mrs. Russell W. Baker Assistant curator of paintings, art of Europe at the MFA, and Boston curator for "Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese: Rivals in Renaissance Venice," this exhibition came about as a way "to rethink the old master exhibition." Instead of focusing on a single artist or a large group of artists, Ilchman said that the MFA "settled upon this idea of showing the big three: Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese."
"What we're trying to do in this exhibition is recreate what must have been very exciting conversations about art, debates about art, and although there are lots of eloquent texts from the period ... by far the most eloquent documents of the rivalry of these three painters are the paintings themselves," Ilchman said.
Pulling from the collections of some of the world's most famous museums, Ilchman said that this exhibition brings "together ... paintings that have not been together in many cases for centuries." He said that, in the exhibition, viewers will "be looking at these painters and the way that they tried to out-do each other [and] critique each other." The show is comprised of 56 paintings and will travel, after it closes at the MFA in August, to the Louvre Museum in Paris, which also contributed several important paintings to the show. The Grand Canal brought to the Fenway
The exhibition begins with a map of Venice, showing the locations of some of each artist's most significant commissions and each of their homes. "These three artists couldn't go down a canal in a gondola or walk around the block without going past ... a monument or a great painting by one of their rivals, and that's the really important thing in this," Ilchman said. "[They] were always conscious of what the other ones were doing."
The two paintings visible from the entrance to the exhibition are the first in a series of comparisons around which much of the show is based. Titian's "Virgin and Child with Saints and Donor" (1513-14) is hung immediately next to his teacher's (Giovanni Bellini's) "Virgin and Child with Saints" (1505-08). While the subject matter depicted in both paintings is relatively similar, Titian's work shows considerable innovation in the material on which it was based.
As Mr. Ilchman noted, "[The] sub-theme of this show is the triumph of the oil on canvas painting which, really begins in Venice in the early 16th century." This method is important because, as he added, "Canvas has a textured surface. Artists could exploit that and bring out new effects of flesh and, particularly, cloth." Titian would eventually become renowned for his ability to make full use of the canvas in this way. The Church and a tablecloth
The second room of the exhibition, entitled "Sacred Themes," was designed, as Mr. Ilchman noted, to be reminiscent of a church. As many of Venice's most famous works of art were in its churches, it is apt that some of the exhibition's most compelling paintings are in this room.
One of the highlights is Tintoretto's "Saint George, Saint Louis, and the Princess" (1552), a tall painting depicting a dragon, several saints and a princess perhaps "riding the dragon in a ... suggestive way," according to Ilchoman.
"At one time, this was contemporary art," Ilchman said. "It wasn't originally old master. And art was challenging, threatening, experimental ... What this exhibition's trying to do is really bring back some of that excitement, when this was cutting edge."
Also in the second room is Titian's "Supper at Emmaus" (1533-34), which is an important work in the show because it introduces larger themes of Venetian painting. As Jean Habert, conservateur général of the Department of Paintings at the Louvre Museum, who will curate the exhibition when it goes to Paris, said, the painting is "very Venetian by its...atmospheric surroundings."
Ilchman pointed out several vertical bands in the painting that suggest that Titian re-worked parts of the canvas. "This idea of improvisation is really central to Venetian painting," Ilchman said. He also commented on the tablecloth, which, surprisingly, is the most enthralling aspect of the painting. It is intricately rendered down to the very weave of the fabric. This great care for detail became so celebrated that, as Habert said, "in the 17th century, the painting was called 'The Tablecloth.'" A new discovery
Following the "Sacred Themes" space is a smaller room through which all visitors must pass to get to the second half of the exhibition. It displays Tintoretto's "Nativity" (late 1550s, reworked 1570s) along with an x-ray image of the canvas. In the process of preparing this painting for the exhibition, conservationists discovered that it is actually several different paintings reworked to create the nativity scene visible today.
"I think sometimes, when you see a beautiful painting displayed in a major museum in a gorgeous frame, it's like it sprung, fully conceived, from the artist's brush," said Rhona MacBeth, the Eyk and Rose-Marie van Otterloo conservator of paintings and head of paintings conservation, who was closely involved in the painting's conservation. "And, in fact, there's usually ... a decision making process that the artist makes and there are internal pressures and external pressures that go into the final resolution of any given work of art." The sensual and the sublime
The most sensual works of the entire show are displayed in the next room, entitled "Mythology and the Female Nude." As Ilchman noted, "Titian loved painting beautiful women." Clearly his competitors enjoyed doing the same.
Veronese's "Susannah and the Elders" (about 1555-1556) portrays a nude woman, fabric gently draped around her leg, unaware of the two men watching her, observing herself in a mirror. The colors and the style are typical of Tintoretto and make for a good comparison with the two neighboring paintings.
Next to "Susannah" is Titian's "Venus with a Mirror" (about 1555), which portrays a nude female in a similar way. She is largely unclothed, and the luxurious fabrics upon which she sits and with which she drapes herself are deeply sensual. As with "Susannah," a mirror in the painting gives viewers a different angle. This can be interpreted as Titian's attempt to compete with sculpture by showing the figure from another perspective.
Finally, Veronese's "Venus with a Mirror (Venus at Her Toilette)" (mid 1580s) depicts largely the same subject matter as Tintoretto and Titians' paintings. Veronese, however, takes it a step further by showing all of Venus's back, positioning her arm so that it reaches behind her body and including an even larger depiction of the seated figure from another side. These artistic decisions were made to suggest perhaps to an even greater degree that painting could compete with sculpture. A Renaissance competition of millennial importance
The last two rooms of the exhibition explore portraiture by all three artists as well as their later styles. The final piece in the show is Tintoretto's "Self-portrait" (about 1588). Because Tintoretto outlived Titian and Veronese, Ilchman proffered an interpretation of the painting: "Tintoretto looked around and realized that he was the last man standing, that the great rivalry that had so spurred his art had now come to an end."
While the famed competition between Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese faded with the death of each painter, it is a part of the Renaissance that has influenced countless artists. And, as this outstanding exhibition shows, it is a theme that is still relevant in the present day.
Unless you've been living under a rock (or in the bowels of Tisch Library), you're probably thinking about the fact that spring break begins in a little over 24 hours. We know the drill of the traditional spring break trip: tropical climates, excessive beverage consumption and other irresponsible activities. We at the Daily Arts Department would like to suggest ten ways to put an artistic spin on your break. 10. Sand castles: Instead of building the standard-issue sand castle with towers in the shape of an overturned bucket, try something more creative. Maybe model your sand abode after the hotel you're staying in, or throw in a Corinthian column or two ... or not. 9. Creative bar fighting: You may find yourself belligerently shwasted in a bar over spring break, and you might be feeling a bit emasculated from the eight fruity tropical drinks it took to get you there. What better way to reassert your inner angry drunkard than provoking a fight with that sleazy UMich bro at the bar next to you? To get started, we suggest breaking his Corona over his head. Remember, violence can be art too. Just look at Hollywood. 8. Tan lines: Instead of discovering this unhappy surprise when you return to the frigid North, plan ahead and be innovative. You could try making shapes out of your tan lines by placing cutout stars or squares on your body as you worship the sun, you could go for a faded look by adjusting your suit at regularly timed intervals, or you could avoid tan lines altogether... The possibilities are endless. 7. Creative drink mixing: If it's in your kitchen it can go in a drink. Diet vanilla-cherry Dr. Pepper? Maple Syrup? Pickle Juice? Yogurt? Guacamole? Graham cracker schnapps? Throw 'em in a blender and whip up a batch of these crimes against God! Be careful, however, because with creative drink mixing comes... 6. Colorful puking: After you drink your diet vanilla-cherry Dr. Pepper-maple-pickle-yogurt-guacamole-gram cracker-schnapps abomination, you will, without fail, hurl. You will ralph like there's no tomorrow. Abraham Lincoln once said, "Whatever you are, be a good one," so if you're gonna be a puker, be the best, the myriad colors and textures mixing in your stomach from your creative drinks can be utilized for art's sake. Think: Jackson Pollock. Spray it on the walls, you beautiful people. Spray it on the walls and on the floor and on any canvases you might have lying around. That'll be worth something one day. Promise. 5. Reading bad novels: You know that romance novel that's been sitting on your shelf for about a year? Now's the time to bust that bad boy out. There's only so much you can do on the beach, and reading a crappy novel is a sure fire way to look like you're doing something, but not really do anything at all. 4. Creative pick-up lines: Really artsy kids can get all metaphorical and maybe make a high-literary pun when chasin' skirt. Clearly, that's not expected from every drunken frat boy or frat mattress on the beach, but at least try something a little more creative than the "fall from heaven" line. 3. Exploring bathing suit fashions: While it may seem unique to hit the beach in your grandmother's one-piece or a barely there bikini more suited for the strip club, it's not very nice to see in a public place. Spring break, however, is one of the few occasions on which it's acceptable to bust out a see-through, handkerchief-size excuse for a two-piece or that Speedo you know you've always wanted to wear. 2. Photography: (read in the voice of the Powerthirst narrator) Hey! Do you want your spring break to be so memorable? Try taking pictures! You'll take pictures, so many pictures! Pictures running, pictures jumping, pictures of sand, pictures of beer, pictures of sluts, pictures of puking. You'll take over 400 pictures and then upload them all to the internet! 1. Watching TV: Because we know that's what you'll really be doing, but maybe pause for a few seconds as you're flipping through HGTV.
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