Triumph of Chastity 1530

Lorenzo Lotto painted this canvas, Triumph of Chastity, with oil paint. The laborious layering of the paint is evident in the final image, a testament to both the artist's hand and the labor involved in creating such a piece. The oil paint allows for a rich, luminous surface, with a wide range of color. This medium is key to understanding the artwork’s themes. Lotto’s mastery is evident in the way he builds up the figures, imbuing them with volume. The subtle variations in color, from the pale flesh tones to the rich greens and browns in the background, are only possible because of the nature of oil paint. The medium is a carrier of meaning, and so is the way the image is designed. The female figures represent ideals of womanhood at the time, but Lotto’s choice of oil paint—a relatively new medium that allowed for hyperrealism—may have been to engage a wealthy audience, those patrons who wanted to own the world through its representation. This material, like any other, came into being in a certain historical moment, for certain social reasons. It is this context that lends the artwork its ultimate significance.