Anatomy of a Masterpiece: Part 3 of 5: Titian and Marsyas
Aneta Georgievska-Shine, professor of art history, University of Maryland

The Flaying of Marsyas: This late masterpiece by Titian, datable between 1570 and 1576, the year of the artist’s death, presents us with a singular portrayal of pain and cruelty: the moment when the God of intellect and music, Apollo, exacts a most brutal punishment on the satyr who had challenged him to a music competition. The broad, sweeping brushstrokes and color splotches on its surface have often made critics wonder if this work was even finished – or what, aside from Titian’s age, may have directed him to render this scene in such a radically expressive manner. In this lecture, we will return to some of these questions by focusing on the possible relationship between the subject of this work and the way in which that subject is given a material presence.

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