Olympia vs Venus of Urbino

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These two similar pieces, which were done 325 years apart, are prime examples of paintings that have been influenced from prior eras. The Venus of Urbino is an oil painting by Titian and the second is Olympia by Manet. Both of these pieces got lots of attention for their eroticism, however invoked the same emotions for different reasons.
The Venus of Urbino is the earlier piece dating back to 1538. It is an oil painting done by Titian, an Italian artist. It is of the goddess Venus, however depicted to be a more naturalistic woman, lying on a bed. She stares straight at the viewer, known as the female gaze, and seems to not care about her nudity. She is holding a bouquet of flowers in her right hand and her left hand covers up her pubic area. A dog sleeps on the end of her bed showing a symbol of marital fertility. Titian was commissioned by Guidobaldo II della Rovere, who was the Duke at the time, for his Bride as an “instruction model.” It would have decorated a chest that was a typical wedding present in Italy at the time. The controversy that this painting stirred was f...

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