Venus and Adonis
		c. 1555 Oil on Canvas 106.8 x 130 cm National Gallery of Art, Washington
Titian painted the first version of Venus and Adonis as one of a series of eight mythological subjects, which he called poesie, or visual poems, for King Philip II of Spain. There are more than thirty painted and engraved versions of this very popular theme survive today. Some canvases, such as the one above, were painted by Titian himself. Members of his workshop produced others and still others canvases were the work of later copyists. The story of Venus and Adonis derives from Ovid's Metamorphoses. Venus, besotted with the handsome young Adonis, knew that his passion for hunting would ultimately lead to his death. In this painting, the powerless goddess clings to her mortal lover in a vain attempt to save his life. Adonis pulls away to pursue the hunt and tragically meets his death. The closeness of the lovers' final embrace serves as an ironic reminder of their impending, and permanent, separation. It is unusual to see Venus depicted as a vulnerable figure, especially from a rear view. Titian wrote that by posing her from behind, he hoped to provide variety among the many nudes in King Philip's collection. By painting Venus from the back, Titian also allowed for viewers to complete her beauty according to their own idea of perfection.
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