to all Malaysians... have a safe and happy ... Deeparaya

Hi there... took a short break... Divali and Raya... needed a holiday lah. Anyway, day dreaming by the beach aside... I suddenly remembered .. my colleague visited Venice on her holiday recently... and I have not mentioned one of my favourite painter, Titian (1485-1576) at all in this blog. Its really a shame after all these months I totally forgot about this great master from Venice. I still remember as a teenager ... admired this guy's amazing oil painting technique and dedication to precision... a grand master of oil paints... the greatest painter of the Venetian (Venice) school. Just like the great Rembrandt he had immense talent and vision. What struck me as a teenager then.. and now... is his use of bold colours... I was very much into poster and acrylic colours... strong and raw... and his work (in oil, mind you...) blew my mind.

His early works included one of the greatest altar pieces (Assumption of the Virgin, 1516–18, Church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice). Now whats striking is his use of colour and light. The first feeling you get is the warm colours and the brave use of bold colours. Its very easy to use light colours in oil paints... easier to play around and make changes. We normally start from light coats to thicker strokes. Titian is a grand master in not overdoing strong colours but at the same time gives a magic effect for our eyes. This was nearly 500 hundred years ago... amazing huh.

1519-26 Altar-painting: oil on canvas, 478 x 266 cm (188 1/8 x 104 3/4 in); Church of Sta Maria dei Frari, Venice