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Paola Beas
Mr. Dewaele
AP History
07 September 2012
Sacred and Profane Love
During Renaissance, the age of rebirth, there were many inspired artist. These artists
created some extravagant masterpieces. One of these masterpieces is Sacred and Profane
Love an oil painting also called Venus and the Bride, painted by the Renaissance artist
Titian. Titian painted this masterpiece around 1513 and 1514. Niccolo Aurelio a secretary
to the Venetian council of ten commissioned him to celebrate his marriage to a young
widow Laura Bagarotto. The bride wearing the white dress is sitting besides cupid and
being assisted by Venus. On the bottom of the fountain in which they are leaning on
shows a classical scene from the story of Venus and Adonis and the patrons coat of
arms. Venus is holding up the lamp of divine love, which represents heavenly love or
eternal happiness. While the bride represents earthly love. This is basically representing a
good love or sex life or marriage. During the time when this artwork was created many
people admired Titians work on sacred and profane love, since he was very loved as a
renaissance artist.

This piece of art demonstrates what was going on with the society at the time because
people back than also had a good love or sex life or marriage. Like Niccolo Aurelio and
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Laura Bagarotto, the couple that commissioned Titian to paint this piece of art. Also the
popes during these times, they had pretty good love lives even though they were not
suppose to have one. But back than it was look upon as normal. Some people might say
that this painting can address a religious theme, since cupid and Venus are in the
painting. As most people know in roman mythology cupid is known as the god of love.
He is often portrayed as the son of the goddess Venus. Venus is known as the Roman
goddess of love, beauty, sex, fertility, prosperity and victory. Now since people in the
Renaissance were so inspired by the Greek and Roman people, maybe thats why Titian
decided to put in these two gods in the painting, also because they both represent love.

This piece of art can help us better understand this period of history to see how some
people actually enjoyed their love lifes and marriages. Mostly people have only heard of
the people that have had a forced or arranged marriage, and than they think that all
marriages were like that, although most of them were. But some might say that through
Titians eyes he saw that the couple that commissioned his work had true love or they
probably just had a good sex life. If it is the true love than we can see how some people
did like the people they were with or married too and did not always have to have an
arranged marriage, but it also did depend on their social classes, you did have to marry
someone that was in your social class. Unless youre the king or pope at the time of the
Renaissance. If it is the intercourse part than we could understand how people back than
had urges like people still do now, and if they enjoyed it that they would decide to get
married.
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Even though the artwork sacred and profane love was made many, many years ago it
can still be related to things that are happening right now in the western culture. For
example, people right now still have a sincere love and then ultimately they decide to get
married. This might be the most common, and preferred reason to get married right now
in the western culture. There can also be people that could just get married because of the
sex. Some might say that this reason might not be very popular, but some might disagree.
This reason to get married will most likely be looked down upon. But it can possibly be
more reasonable and understandable for those peoples whose religions or cultures allow
them to have more than one wife at the same time.

This piece of art can say many things about human beings. Many people can also
have different opinions on what it is trying to interpret about humans. This artwork can
say that there are marriages that are meant to be. The marriages between people that truly
love and care about each other. This interpretation can show how much humans value
love, and dont take it for granted. That they take marriage very seriously and understand
what it means to give someone their word when it comes to important things.

It can also say that people than and some might say that people now are just in it for
the intercourse. This side of the message can be a tad more disturbing and uncomfortable
for some people. Probably more like for people who are very religious and believe that a
marriage should be between people whom actually love and care for each other. This can
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show these human beings as greedy, that that is all they look for in a positional bride they
hope to be marring. Also that they do not care about the sacredness that matrimony
carries. This can possibly be the reason why Titian named his masterpiece sacred and
profane, because there is no sacredness. Or possibly because of the profaneness the
painting can possibly tell, or because in a marriage there is both sacredness and profane.
Most people marry because of the love they share for each other, but if the intercourse is
great too than thats like a bonus for many people. In other words this is what makes this
painting very unique, people can find many interpretations it can tell, this is why it is
considered as high renaissance art.










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Work Sited Part
1.
Brenda Harness, Art Historian. - Sacred and Profane Love | Stylistic Differences
Between Titian and Giorgione -
http://www.finearttouch.com/Sacred_and_Profane_Love,_Stylistic_Differences_Between
_Titian_and_Giorgione.html
2. - http://www.galleriaborghese.it/borghese/en/eamor.htm
3. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_and_Profane_Love - last modified August 28,
2012
4. - http://www.blackstudies.ucsb.edu/antillians/renart.html -