Abstract This paper compares the portrayal of the goddess Venus by Titian, Canova and Manet. The paper suggests that in each case, the personality of the sitter comes through in the final work, meshing with the idea of the goddess. It then looks at the relationship between the two nineteenth-century artists and Titian and how both looked back to the Renaissance genius as the ideal interpreter of Classical models.
From the Paper "Three Venuses: By Titian, Canova and Manet Depictions of the goddess of love go back to ancient, even (in the case of the so-called Venus of Willendorf) to times as much as twenty-five thousand years before Christ) (Jansen 29). Such ancient fertility figures became endowed over the years with the Classical principles of beauty, erotic love, and divine inspiration. By the time of the Renaissance, with its dual emphases on Classical elements and on the importance of the individual, Venus could also be portrayed as a real woman. At the same time, nudity took on an idealistic stance missing in the Middle Ages, as the human body could encompass both the ideals of Classical perfection and the humanistic sense of the individual stripped of the trappings of society (Janson 398-399). Titian (1488/90-1576) dominated Venetian High Renaissance painting throughout the sixteenth century (Janson 462)."
This paper discusses the continuity of technique and style in traditional sculpture, from Antiquity to the Baroque and Neo-Classical periods, specifically in the sculpture of Italians Gianlorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) and Antonio Canova (1757-1822).
Abstract This paper explains that the mythical antique sculptures initially seem to have more features in common than differences with those of Bernini from the Baroque era and Canova from the Neo-classic era; but, upon closer examination of Bernini's 'Apollo and Daphne' and Canova's 'Cupid and Psyche', they are steeped in the attitudes and values of their own periods. The author points out that Bernini's 'Apollo and Daphne' reflects the religious emotionalism and exuberant decorative richness that spread all over Europe from Rome, while Canova's 'Cupid and Psyche' demonstrates the fusion of Christian values and Eighteenth century sensibility. The paper relates that, in classical art, the greatly prized qualities of nobility, grace, beauty, supreme physical strength, virtuosity and heroism is expressed in sculpture: Bernini and Canova seem to use the Antique period as an inexhaustible source of human qualities and emotions.
From the Paper "Bernini's 'Apollo and Daphne' exemplifies sculpture from the Baroque period, and Canova's 'Cupid and Psyche' is a prime example of Neo-Classical sculpture. The very title 'Neo-Classical' suggests a strong identification with ancient art, but the movement was perhaps more of a reaction against the Baroque style. It sought to combine Christianity with the general sentiments and principles of the time. The Neo-Classicists condemned Baroque art for its excessive detail and lack of 'meaning'. John Flaxman once criticised the extravagance of Baroque sculpture, describing it as all about 'twisted heads, full bodies, fluttering draperies; all wrists and ankles and bombastic attitudes'. In comparison to Bernini's Daphne and Apollo', Canova's 'Cupid and Psyche' is an unadorned sculpture."
Abstract This paper is a study on the changing role of the artist in European society, as seen in its case study of Antonio Canova. It asks whether increased demand for art, and increased commercialization, gave the artist greater freedom as it released him from the grip of his patron; or, whether this only subjugated him to new restrictions, those of a competitive market.
From the Paper "Before the nineteenth century artists in Europe relied almost entirely upon their patrons to finance their work. It was extremely difficult, and pretty much unheard of, for an artist to finance his own profession, and there was not a large enough market to create a piece without having a specific buyer in mind. Therefore, patrons could, and often did, exert a large influence on the outcome of the work."
