Tiziano Vecellio, more commonly known as Titian, has always been known as a incredibly creative artist and intellectual. From his birth roughly around 1488, although the precise date is unknown, his family wanted him to become one of Italy's most talented artists. He began his study at the age of 8 or 9 in Venice with Giovanni and Gentile Bellini and then later with Giorgione, who became a very close friend. After his apprenticeship, he slowly began his career as a sort of echo of Giorgione’s, using the same stylistic manner as his. However, once Giorgione died in 1510 and he was commissioned for several paintings as well as becoming the official painter to the Republic, he formed his own style and form. It may have been the fact that after Giorgione's death, he didn't have a specific rival other than Bellini that made him a more confident painter, therefore taking more risks in his paintings. It is described as dynamic, adventurous, and exuberant. His paintings had life, and energy. He soon became a very well-known artist, famous for his lively paintings. For this reason, he is called the father of the modern mode of art.¹ He had a much different style from that of Raphael, whose career was mainly during the beginning of Titian's, and that made them rivals. But due to Raphael's early death, Titian continued his work and was able to produce more and more paintings. Then in 1530, after the death of his wife, Titian’s style changed once more. He became much more poetic, and contemplative. He explored the use of relating rather than contrasting colors, and his fame for vivacious paintings died. However, a new fame was spread around him, with that of his new approach. It seemed that no matter what Titian did, the people adored him. Titian was also a lover of art. He made trips to other places, such as Rome and Augsburg to take in the art of other creative geniuses, like  Raphael and Michelangelo.²  He spent much of the rest of his life being commissioned for many other paintings that would become more and more famous after his death. He was artist until the end of his life, on August 27th, 1576 when he died of the plague while in Venice. He is now buried in Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari.³

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The scene is that of 5 individuals, all resting in an open field, with the sea, and a church, and a cloud-filled sky as the background. At first glance, there appear to be three sleeping children, but in actuality, there are two. The third is cupid, hovering above them and suggesting of a future love. The positioning of the children sleeping against one another also suggests this. To the left of them are two young lovers, who have been identified as Daphnis and Chloe, two characters from Greek mythology who were lovers.⁴ The contrast of light and dark is easily seen in the picture, from the dark shadows of the trees and the brightness of the young man's skin. It makes his skin stand out, also seen in the infants skin against the dead tree which they are sleeping against. What this painting represents is the notion of everlasting love, as through the three ages of man, infancy, adulthood, and old age, the love never dies. The two infants with cupid shows a love between them, and the two adults suggest love with their bodies and motions, and finally because the old man in the background is holding two skulls, which suggest this couple after they die. This masterpiece which depicts so many thing, like death, and birth, love and time has had some controversy as to whose work it technically is. Because Titian began as more of an apprentice of Giorgione and the Bellinis, and because this is one of his earlier works, there is debate as to whether or not this should be considered Titian's work because Giorgione began it. However, it is widely accepted that this is a Titian original, because he changed a lot about it, and essentially, the painting we see today was painted by Titian himself.

Information:

-Oil painting, done on canvas

-dated 1515, by Tiziano Vecellio

-90 x 151 cm. canvas

-one of Titian's more earlier works

-held on loan in The National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh

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All of Titian's work was and continues to be highly valued and recognized as examples to historians as keys to what the people of the Renaissance valued and believed in. Individualism was the underlying concept for every new idea and value that the people had. It directly relates to humanism, and secularism, as the idea of separate individuals is considered in humanism, and secularism which deals with the basic concern with the material world instead of the eternal and spiritual matter.⁵  The painting The Three Ages of Man is a specific example of individualism. For example, we can see that the young girl is holding two flutes. Individualism looks into the idea of the abilities of specific people, so it therefore also stresses different talents, such as the talent of playing the flute. This would make you an individual because you could be distinguished as a musician. Another insight on the flutes is that during the Renaissance, the people wanted to return to the ideas of the Classical Greek and Roman civilizations. It can be observed that the girl is not actually playing the flutes, just holding them, which shows a respect for Classical cultures, as they too studied and played music. Also on the Classical values, the two young lovers are Daphnis and Chloe, who were characters from Greek mythology, which shows how at the time of the Renaissance, the people valued Classical ideas. In addition, we can see that this painting suggests individualism as well as humanism and realism because each person in the picture has a separate face and body. The two lovers for example have two different skin tones, as they are distinguished from each other and from the children and the old man. Even the hair textures and color are individualistic because they are completely different from each other and therefore set apart the two as individuals. Simple objects in the painting can show values, such as the skulls as they show human history, which the Greeks were interested in. The dead-looking tree shows realism, which in itself was a value of High Renaissance art. Some people find it interesting that the old man in the background is nearest to the church, which shows that he is closer to death and therefore to heaven. This could be why is appears to be fascinated, or even terrified by the skulls. The painting itself has influenced abd helped show the values of the Renaissance to historians and art lovers. Below is a picture of a postage stamp, which has a cropped image of the Daphnis and Chloe on it. The fact that this painting has been made into a postage stamp shows just how much this artist was valued.

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