The death of Titian
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| Title: | The death of Titian |
| Genus: | Fragment |
| Original language: | German |
| Author: | Hugo von Hofmannsthal |
| Publishing year: | 1892 |
| Premiere: | February 14, 1901 |
| Place of premiere: | Munich |
| Place and time of the action: | 1576 |
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The Death of Titian by Hugo von Hofmannsthal in 1892 as a fragment ( fragment published) a lyrical drama. It appeared in the first volume of Blätter für die Kunst , which the poet friend Stefan George published. The world premiere took place as a “dramatic fragment” with a new prologue and a different ending on the occasion of the funeral of the painter Arnold Böcklin, who was admired by Hofmannsthal, on February 14, 1901 in Munich. The work comprises only 347 verses and is counted among the early works of the poet; But it shows essential poetological and aesthetic features of the poet and amazes with its profundity - Hofmannsthal wrote the death of Titian at the age of 18.
content
In the prologue, a page addresses the audience: He tells of his personal relationship with the work that is about to be performed. For example, while looking at a picture in a castle, he met the poet, who had presented him with the work. The page likes the piece, it is not as pretty as summer songs, but the themes are beautiful: young ancestors, the melting of unlived things, precocious wisdom, early doubts, great, questioning longing .
In 1576 the painter Tizian died at the age of 99 in his villa. His students are on the terrace. The young, beautiful Gianino and Tizian's son, called Tizianello, join them and report on the artist's current poor condition. The students worry about him. Gianino tells of a nocturnal experience of nature in which he, called by nature, perceives it with all of his senses. He mentions the city, which calmly, seductively creates a different experience. Desiderio warns of the dangers posed by the city and rises above the residents. The students jointly plead for the separation of the city from Titian's villa, because only here can they experience the real beauty. Pages carry two pictures of Titian across the terrace: Venus and a bacchanal . The dying painter wants to see her at the moment of his death in order to surpass her. Tizianello concludes an eulogy of beauty with the bitter realization that the city will never understand the beauty inherent in the works of Titian, the creator of the beautiful. The three girls Lavinia, Cassandra and Lisa step out onto the terrace and report that Titian is now painting his last picture after discarding all previous works. The girls stood as models for the picture: Lavinia as the goddess Venus, Cassandra laughing furtively, her hair damp from kisses, and Lisa very playful with a doll (Pan). Desiderio gives a final eulogy for the genius of Titian, who, in contrast to all others, is able to give things beauty.
interpretation
The death of Tizian is not a historical representation of the last day in the life of the Renaissance painter Tizian , but a projection of the situation in themes and problems of the fin de siècle .
Hofmannthal's lyrical drama shows the incompatibility of art and life on several levels: Initially, the artist's villa and city are strictly separated from each other, mutual understanding cannot be discerned, on the contrary: Desiderio underlines his intellectual superiority with obvious arrogance. Here Hofmannsthal's criticism of aestheticism comes into play. In addition, however, the difference between artist and dilettante in the relationship between Titian and his students becomes apparent: While the students openly admit that they will never reach Titian's creativity, they immediately show why this is so: They misunderstand the moment of the last Creative power of the painter. In death he discards all his images in order to create something new that unites the glorification of life and beauty. General skepticism about Titian's picture is appropriate, because teachers and students are separated from each other. Titian himself does not appear in the play, his figure is only represented through the statements of the students and should therefore be questioned.
Influences
The influences on the work are manifold: In addition to Stefan George and his poem Der Infant from 1890, symbolists ( Stéphane Mallarmé , Charles Baudelaire , Edgar Allan Poe , Paul Verlaine ), Friedrich Nietzsche , Arnold Böcklin and aestheticists should be mentioned.
literature
- Bernhard Böschenstein, concealment and disclosure. George's presence in the sequel to the death of Titian , in: Verbergendes Unhüllen, ed. by Wolfram Malte Fues and Wolfram Mauser, 1995, pp. 277-287
- Gerhard Neumann, Proverb in Verse or Creation Mystery? Hofmannsthal's one-act play between language play and eye-gaze, in: Hofmannsthal-Jahrbuch I (1993)
- Gregor Streim: 'Life' in Art. Investigations into the aesthetics of the early Hofmannsthal. Königshausen & Neumann, 1996, pp. 141–159.
Web links
- The death of Titian at Zeno.org .
- Figure lexicon on the death of Titian by Katharina Meiser in the portal Literaturlexikon online .