Sacred and Profane Love by Tiziano Vecelli
I've always loved this painting - since the first time I saw it. Each time I look at it I see something I didn't see before. I remember studying this picture in college - I think this was the first time I was exposed to the idea that a painting of this nature could be political or serve a purpose beyond art. The story goes this was commissioned for the merging of two families - meaning a wedding between Nicolo Aurelio and Laura Bagarotto in 1514. It's name was not Sacred and Profane Love at first but it was described as "Beauty adorned and Beauty unadorned". Is that what you see when you look at this painting? I mean the adorning is pretty freaking clear, and it looks like two versions of Venus (goddess of love and beauty). Pretty straight forward name ... or is it? This is one of the many things scholars debate constantly about this painting. The information you find on it states that the backgrounds of each half could represent the places the merging famili...
