Thomas Dalla Costa: Titian, the landscape between Veneto and Europe

The fundamental role of Titian in the development of a new landscape vision in Venetian and European art, destined to leave its mark until the late eighteenth century, is widely recognized but not yet thoroughly studied or adequately valued.

Although there are no paintings in the Titian catalog that can be framed as autonomous landscapes, where nature plays a predominant role compared to the presence of human figures or the historia addressed in them, the naturalistic setting that serves as a backdrop for his works always carries considerable weight.

It is already in the early phase of the Cadorino's career, particularly in graphic works such as drawings, engravings, and woodcuts, that a significant interest in landscape is evident.

These are compositions that fall outright into the genre of landscape with secondary figures and were produced not only by the master himself but also by a series of collaborators.

However, one of the most interesting aspects of this type of work is related to the impact it had on subsequent generations of artists, even beyond the Italian borders, from Rembrandt and Rubens to Fragonard and Watteau, providing a fundamental contribution to the birth of the landscape genre.

Thomas Dalla Costa, art historian and curator, trained at the University of Verona, where he obtained his PhD in 2012.

He has worked at the National Gallery in London and has curated and contributed to several exhibitions in Italy and abroad: Verona, London, Moscow, Madrid, Vienna.

He has published numerous contributions in journals, books, and exhibition catalogs concerning: the history of criticism and Venetian painting between the 15th and 17th centuries; the organization of Venetian artistic workshops; the use and function of drawing in the creative processes of Venetian artists in the 15th and 16th centuries.

He also has the curatorship or co-curatorship of volumes focusing on these themes, such as the recent Venetian Disegno. New Frontiers 1420-1620, co-edited with Maria Aresin (Paul Holberton Publishing, 2024), in addition to being the author of the monographic volume titled “Venus and Adonis” by Titian. Art, culture, and society between Venice and Europe (Marsilio, 2019).

He is currently the scientific director of research and exhibition activities related to the celebrations for the 450th anniversary of Titian's death.

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