"The Tempest" c. 1506 Giorgione da Castelfranco

              The above image is an Oil on canvas painted by Giorgione who was one of Venice's major painters of the sixteenth century during the Italian Renaissance. It was the Venetians who were the first to use oils both on wood panel and canvas, but the inspiration of idealized style and oil-painting technique came from the Bellini family in the late fifteenth century. From then, they started to cover their walls with large canvas paintings instead of Frescos and oil on canvas became the preferred medium. This worked in the favor of artists such as Giorgione and Titan who's style suited the rich color and lighting effects that it gave.
              Giorgione's work is very important to Venetian painting because he introduced "Painted poems" (known as poesie) which was inspired by the contemporary literary revival of ancient pastoral verse but eludes specific narrative and symbolic interpretation. This work shows his love for nature and landscape painting, and gives an enigmatic feel especially because of use of all of the classical elements such as the lightning bolt, billowing clouds and mysterious look on the man's face. It piques an interest as to what was going on and what relation does the two subjects have to each other vs what the surrounding environment has to do with it. Is it a reflection of the relationship or perhaps it was just used to add to the mystery. 

              On the right is a woman who looks to be nursing her child with a protective embrace and on the left stands a man (variously interpreted as a German mercenary soldier) who seems to be looking in her direction but not directly at her. The sensuality and glow of the woman painted shows nudity as soft, delicate and innocent and her embrace is rooted in love and care for her child. The undirected gaze of the man exhibits feelings of protection and reverie. The idyllic landscape and connection of the subjects and surroundings tell a story which was a goal of the artist's work. This work, in my opinion, relates contemporarily but in the sense that things are the total opposite. The story that is being told today is not one of precious, innocence but seems as though everything is rooted in eroticism.