LESLIE PARKE

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ARTIST DNA: Raphael and Titian

Raphael, Galatea detail, 1506

I was scrolling through Pinterest and saw the Raphael's "Galatae".  It immediately  reminded me of Titian's "Bacchus and Ariadne".  I had no idea how closely they were related in ways other than visually.  Here is what Wikipedia says:Bacchus and Ariadne (1520–23)[1] is an oil painting by Titian. It is one of a cycle of paintings on mythological subjects produced for Alfonso d'Este, the Duke of Ferrara, for the Camerino d'Alabastro – a private room in his palazzo in Ferrara decorated with paintings based on classical texts. An advance payment was given to Raphael, who originally held the commission for the subject of a Triumph of Bacchus. At the time of Raphael's death in 1520, only a preliminary drawing was completed and the commission was then handed to Titian. In the case of Bacchus and Ariadne, the subject matter was derived from the Roman poets Catullus and Ovid. The painting, considered one of Titian's greatest works, now hangs in the National Gallery in London.

Titian, Bacchus and Ariadne