Metamorphosis: Poems Inspired by Titian (National Gallery London)

Penny, Nicholas,Agbabi, Patience,Armitage, Simon,Cope, Wendy,Duffy, Carol Ann,Greenlaw, Lavinia,Harrison, Tony,Heaney, Seamus,Leviston, Frances,Morrissey, Sinead,Paterson, Don,Reid, Christopher,Shapcott, Jo,Szirtes, George,Williams, Hugo

ISBN 10: 1857095472 / ISBN 13: 9781857095470

Published by Yale University Press, 2012

About this Item

Ex-library book, usual marking. Clean copy in good condition. Quick dispatch from UK seller. Seller Inventory # mon0000470336

Bibliographic Details

Title: Metamorphosis: Poems Inspired by Titian (...

Publisher: Yale University Press

Publication Date: 2012

Binding: paperback

Condition: Good

About this title

Synopsis:

As part of a unique collaboration between the National Gallery and the Royal Opera House, fourteen leading poets were invited to respond to three great masterpieces by the Renaissance painter, Titian: "Diana and Callisto", "Diana and Actaeon" and "The Death of Actaeon". Titian's paintings were inspired by Ovid's "Metamorphoses" - stories of transformation - and depict the fatal consequences of a mortal tragically caught up in the affairs of the gods. Titian would have known Ovid's poem from a contemporary translation in Italian. This book's introduction by Nicholas Penny, Ovid, Titian, and English Poetry, shows how Titian incorporated specific elements from Ovid's verses in his paintings, and compares some of the most famous translations in English, from the first version by Arthur Golding (1565) to those by Joseph Addison (1717) and Ted Hughes (1997). The late Lucian Freud described "Diana and Callisto" and "Diana and Actaeon" as 'simply the most beautiful pictures in the world'. These new poems, each illustrated with full-colour details from Titian's paintings, demonstrate the quality and range of writing in Britain today, and show how Old Master paintings continue to inspire living artists.

About the Author:

Diana and Callisto has now been jointly acquired by the National Gallery and the National Galleries of Scotland (as was Diana and Actaeon in 2009) ensuring that both these superlative works by Titian will remain together on public display.