Compare and contrast Lucas Cranach's Nymph of the Spring and Titian's "Venus" of Urbino. What could the style and iconography of each painting suggest about the identity of the figures?
What will be an ideal response?
The ideal answer should include:
1. In Nymph of the Spring, Cranach records the Danube landscape with characteristic Northern attention to detail, whereas the setting of Titian's "Venus" of Urbino is a spacious palace.
2. Cranach's nymph is nude and lies on a red velvet gown, but still wears her jewelry, whereas Titian's Venus lies on a couch completely nude.
3. Cranach's painting includes a pair of partridges (symbols of Venus and married love), and this might suggest that she is a living beauty in the Wittenburg court.
4. Titian's Venus could represent a Roman goddess or a Venetian courtesan; however, the matrimonial references in the painting might suggest that she is a bride or a faithful wife.
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