Titian Vecellio
(Pieve di Cadore 1488/90 – Venice 1576)
Portrait of a musician
Oil on canvas, 99×81.8 cm
Probably painted around 1512-13, Portrait of a Musician is an early masterpiece by Titian Vecellio, who masterfully exploited all the expressive possibilities of black, grey and brown tones. Particularly original is the way in which the figure – a violinist whose identity we do not know – is fixed by the painter as he turns towards the viewer, holding in his gloved hand a long scroll overhanging a balustrade.
The figure’s profoundly natural and dynamic posture, not without a slightly enigmatic quality, is accentuated by the sharpness of his gaze, illuminated by the luminous tone of his complexion. Titian’s mastery of vivid colour, which gives substance to things without defining them through drawing, is evident in the smallest details: in the flap of the shirt that peeps out of the jacket, one can feel, without touching it, the thickness of the fabric, while the background of the work – only hinted at – recalls the vast spaces of Renaissance architecture.
