“Corporeality and Materiality: Light, colour and the body in Titian’s S. Salvatore Annunciation and Naples Danae” is an article written by Daniela Bohde. In this article, Bohde argues proposes “to consider the materiality of Titian’s mode of painting as interrelated with his attention to the materiality of the represented things, especially the body” (19). In other words, Danae is connecting Titian’s style in his later life with a personal desire to depict sensuous and real bodies and material subjects to the viewer. This paper will summarize Bohde’s argument with main points, and then look at her argument with a critical lens. She makes some strong points when she connects Titian’s work to the contemporary context of 16th century Italian painting.
…show more content…
She notes the historical sources that emphasized this work’s unfinished appearance (Bohde 24). Then she relates this unfinished appearance and the materiality of the paint to the materiality of the body in the Incarnation of Christ (Bohde 24). The author explains the importance of the body and flesh in this biblical story, with a convincing deconstruction of the role of the flesh and virginity in the history of Venice as a city founded on Catholicism (Bohde 24-25). She then explains that the more open and expressive brushstrokes in the Annunciation intended to give the viewer the impression that “something is really happening at the moment of viewing” and that “the divine light becomes flesh” (Bohde 25). The author concludes by suggesting that both the Annunciation and Denae feature formal qualities of open brushwork and contour lines which Titian intentionally used to convey material subjects of erotic and transformative nature (Bohde 26). This argument is significant to our understanding of Titian’s later work, because it suggests that he very carefully and intentionally shifted toward a different style to convey a different kind of meaning to his …show more content…
Her reference to the historical and religious context is especially powerful. When she explains the two different contexts for Danae and the Annunciation, it seems to make more sense that these works were catering to a specific need. In the case of Danae, the information provided by Bohde about the patron’s sexual affair and powerful status are fascinating (20-21). In the case of the Annunciation, Bohde’s linkage of the painting’s subject matter to the imagery of virginal flesh and transformation in 16th century Catholicism is also very intriguing (24-26). These facts about the context help to support Bohde’s points that Titian was altering his style of painting to suit the themes and needs of his time. In this sense, he was striving to be considered a master and innovator by depicting a kind of materiality that other painters may not have
She notes the historical sources that emphasized this work’s unfinished appearance (Bohde 24). Then she relates this unfinished appearance and the materiality of the paint to the materiality of the body in the Incarnation of Christ (Bohde 24). The author explains the importance of the body and flesh in this biblical story, with a convincing deconstruction of the role of the flesh and virginity in the history of Venice as a city founded on Catholicism (Bohde 24-25). She then explains that the more open and expressive brushstrokes in the Annunciation intended to give the viewer the impression that “something is really happening at the moment of viewing” and that “the divine light becomes flesh” (Bohde 25). The author concludes by suggesting that both the Annunciation and Denae feature formal qualities of open brushwork and contour lines which Titian intentionally used to convey material subjects of erotic and transformative nature (Bohde 26). This argument is significant to our understanding of Titian’s later work, because it suggests that he very carefully and intentionally shifted toward a different style to convey a different kind of meaning to his …show more content…
Her reference to the historical and religious context is especially powerful. When she explains the two different contexts for Danae and the Annunciation, it seems to make more sense that these works were catering to a specific need. In the case of Danae, the information provided by Bohde about the patron’s sexual affair and powerful status are fascinating (20-21). In the case of the Annunciation, Bohde’s linkage of the painting’s subject matter to the imagery of virginal flesh and transformation in 16th century Catholicism is also very intriguing (24-26). These facts about the context help to support Bohde’s points that Titian was altering his style of painting to suit the themes and needs of his time. In this sense, he was striving to be considered a master and innovator by depicting a kind of materiality that other painters may not have