Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese: Rivals in Renaissance Venice

Artists and collectors

As we have already seen, portraiture enjoyed a particular status in Venice; moreover, the Venetians accorded a quite specific place to the representation of artworks and artists, as is borne out by the many portraits of collectors surrounded by the works in their collections. Titian’s Portrait of Jacopo Strada was an opportunity to showcase his talent, in its movement, contrapposto, intensity, interplay of materials, colors, and contrasts providing a “lesson in painting.”

The Venetians had a real infatuation for portraits of artists; many collectors and artists themselves would commission portraits of painters, sculptors, and architects. In the main, the painters preferred to paint their own portraits, thus providing the opportunity for self-celebration or, rather, intimate reflection.
It was Titian who produced the most self-portraits throughout his life. His was a reflection not only on his creative relation with the heavens and his divine inspiration, but also on his awareness of the work involved and the difficulty of his toil, with a real hope for fame that would transcend death.
While Titian favored three-quarter portraits, Tintoretto preferred to paint himself in front view. Throughout his career he sought to shock and flaunt his difference as compared with other artists. In this chosen course, we cannot ignore the parallel with representations of the Holy Face or Christ the Redeemer, a comparison that he exploited to the full—looking not at the spectator but looking inwardly, in his search for inspiration.