Art History 101

The Venice Biennale is not open on Mondays (a fact I wish I had known before planning this trip - sigh... thanks a lot, Italy, for having that information available on your website well in advance of the exhibition opening - ugh!), so we went back to art historical basics today.  We spent the morning at the Palazzo Ducale, the Doge's Palace - a rare example of civilian Venetian Gothic architecture, home to all arms of Venetian government (including a prison) for nearly a thousand years.

Palazzo Ducale

Interior courtyard of Palazzo Ducale

Besides touring the palace itself, we had the amazing opportunity to view two paragons of art history side by side for the first time ever: Olympia (1863) by Edouard Manet and an earlier painting which influenced Manet, Venus of Urbino (1538) by Titian.  This is the first time Olympia has travelled outside of France.

Manet, Olympia

Titian, Venus of Urbino

If memory serves, I wrote a compare/contrast essay on these two works back at UCLA.  Note the dog at the foot of Venus' bed, a symbol of loyalty, vs. the mischievous, salacious black cat at the foot of Olympia's bed (Olympia was a prostitute).  It was absolutely incredible to see these two masterpieces on the same wall!  We could have stayed there all day, but we had other art to see...

50+ Tintoretto paintings (1564-1588) at the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, so many of which are on the ceiling that mirrors are available to carry around so that you don't strain your neck viewing all of them.

Titian's Assumption (1518) in the altar of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. The painting is not in great condition and photography is not allowed, so the best I could do was this view from outside of the altar looking in.

Basilica de San Marco (which is undergoing restoration and is not very attractive from the outside).