Jupiter and Anthiope (Pardo Venus) 1542

Titian made this painting, Jupiter and Antiope, using oil on canvas, most likely around 1554. The way the painting has been made is clearly indebted to Renaissance traditions. But the fact that this scene is rendered in oil is not just a technicality. Oil paint can achieve a certain level of luminosity, and allows for the depiction of skin in a very particular way; note the smoothness of Antiope’s flesh. Titian was celebrated in his day, and paintings like this were luxury goods, the result of extensive patronage. What may be less obvious is the amount of labor involved in the preparation of the paint itself. Each color had to be carefully mixed and applied in layers, an incredibly time-consuming process. Next time you look at an old master like this, take a moment to consider the way its making is tied to wider social issues of labor, class and consumption. In the end, this adds even more meaning to the image.