Titian: A Celebration and Retrospective of the Prince of Painters

The Italian Culture & Community Center of Houston invites you to celebrate Titian as we mark the 450th anniversary of his death. In this three-week course led by Dr. Douglas Erwing, participants will learn about why and how this Venetian painter became one of the most celebrated masters in art history.

Titian was recognized by many during his life as the greatest painter of his age. With a seventy-year career (1506-1576) spanning the High Renaissance, Mannerism, and the formative years of Baroque, his work was sought by the greatest of patrons, compared favorably to his contemporaries in Venice, Rome, and Florence. Not content with success, he continued to mature as an artist from his youthful palette of bright colors and polished surfaces into his later years when he embraced a looser, almost impressionistic, style marked by a darker palette and subtle tones. Along the way he daringly painted poetry, showed subjects with a psychological depth not seen before in portraits, and crafted religious imagery that was celebrated for being dynamic and monumental.

This three-week lecture series will show a glittering slideshow of his work in the four main stages of his career:

• His youth, apprenticeship, and early years in Venice (La Serenissima), the city he called his home
• His early independence and the emergence of his signature style
• His maturity as a court painter to European nobility and the Papacy
• His late years, showing a dramatic shift towards a looser, more atmospheric technique

Come and meet the Prince of Painters and see the portraits, religious imagery, mythological scenes, and landscapes that will educate attendees about the man and his art.

When: Mondays from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., March 16th - March 30th, 2026
Where: Italian Cultural & Community Center, 1101 Milford Street
Tickets: $125 for ICCC Members | $150 for General Admission

General Disclaimer
Please note that Renaissance artwork, including the works of Titian, often features depictions of the human form in the nude, particularly in scenes drawn from Classical mythology and history. While this course has no age restriction, we want all participants to be aware of the presence of such imagery as part of the artistic and historical context of the period.

Meet the Speaker

Douglas Erwing, J.D., Ph.D., taught in the University of Houston Honors College for 17 years, offering courses in early American history, constitutional law, and the Florentine Renaissance, and previously directing the Bonner Leaders Program. A Mellon Fellow with advanced training in early American legal history, he is also a respected scholar of Italian Renaissance art. Dr. Erwing serves on ICCC’s Finance Committee and has also practiced law for 25 years in real estate, insurance, and general counsel roles.

This lecture is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.

Click here to become a member of the Italian Cultural & Community Center of Houston and receive special discounts on language classes and access to exclusive, members-only events.

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