Description of the painting by Titian “Venus and Adonis”

Description of the painting by Titian Venus and Adonis

The plot of this canvas is a dramatic story of two lovers Venus and Adonis.

The artist Vecellio Titian created a painting commissioned by the Spanish king. Philip II appreciated the beauty of the naked female body, so the painting “Venus and Adonis” became a wonderful wedding gift for the ruler.

The main characters of the canvas are the goddess Venus and the beautiful young man Adonis. He was born as a result of an incestuous union of Mirtha with her father. For this, the gods punished the woman and turned her into a tree. Some time later Adonis came out of the tree trunk.

At first glance, Venus fell madly in love with the young man, since her heart was struck with a boar by the prankster Cupid. She knew the predictions that the sad fate awaits her beloved – he will be killed by a boar during a hunt.

The goddess believed that Adonis could be stopped and misfortune avoided. But fate fulfilled the cruel prophecy. At the place where Adonis shed his blood, roses blossomed. And the tears shed by Venus turned into anemones.

The painting depicts the scene of that fateful day when the stubborn youth did not succumb to the persuasion of the goddess and lost his life. Venus holds him tight in his arms. Plead and suffering are expressed in her gaze. She knows that this meeting may be the last and in every way tries to keep her lover.

The face of Adonis is resolute and indifferent. He is not going to deviate from his plans. Everything is ready for the hunt, the dogs are harnessed. The first rays of the sun, making their way through the morning haze, herald that it is time to go. Not far under a spreading tree Cupid quietly dozing. He is indifferent to the suffering of love.

Today, the canvas is protected by the Prado Museum in Madrid. It was written in 1553. His work Titian performed in oil on canvas.


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Description of the painting by Titian “Venus and Adonis”