Titian at the National gallery

The National Gallery has been hosting a collection of the Venetian painter's work since 19/02/2003 and will continue to do so until 18-05-2003, so hurry. Hosted in the Sainsbury Wing (no product or brand placement there, then!), the gallery has spread his paintings across six large rooms, and the first thing that strikes you is just how many works there are.

If you go, I can recommend the audio commentary. Although not cheap at £3.50, on top of the entrance fee of £7 (and that was with with group discount applied), it explains how each of his paintings was conceived, and also where applicable, how he broke the rules. I didn't realise just how strict the form was for paintings until it was explained how daring he was to flaunt them.

Absolute Arts says of the exhibition:

‘Titian’ is the first in a series of three Renaissance exhibitions to be held at the National Gallery. It will be followed by ‘El Greco’ and ‘Raphael’ exhibitions in 2004. Titian was one of the giants of Renaissance art, whose revolutionary handling of surface and colour transformed the language of painting. This is the first major exhibition of his work to be held in the UK. An artist with a broad range, Titian’s work encompasses mythology, religion, landscape and portraiture, and deals with heroic actions and profound passions.