Art is stronger than nature. (Titian)
If Renaissance art in Italy had an early, a middle (or "High"), and a late phase, they all came to an abrupt end historically on May 6, 1527, the exact date of The Sack of Rome. There are many excellent histories of this important event. A synopsis of the avalanche of factors leading directly to the atrocity is presented here:
“The mercenary leader Georg von Frundsberg, with a large band of German mercenaries, made for Milan to reinforce Duke Charles de Bourbon, who was engaged in the siege of Milan. In November of 1526, Frundsberg, and 12,000 men crossed the Alps. They joined Duke Charles at Piacenza on February 7, 1527 and there, with a total force of some 30,000 troops, they waited. Growing restless, the army revolted. Frundsberg confronted the leaders of the revolt, but he had the bad fortune to suffer a stroke at precisely that moment, eliminating him from the campaign. Constable de Bourbon assumed command of the army, but not control of it. The army lurched onward to Rome. Meanwhile, in Rome, the Pope was having trouble raising a defense. The Imperial Spanish-German army, numbering some 40,000 soldiers, reached Rome on Sunday, May 5, 1527. The attack on Rome began around 4:00 am on May 6. Upon the first assault, de Bourbon was struck by an arquebus. The famous Benvenuto Cellini, who was with the papal party seeking refuge in Castel St. Angelo, claims in his Autobiography that he was the marksman who hit Duke de Bourbon. True or not, de Bourbon was dead, and without a leader, the army quickly degenerated into a mob of plunderers.”
Omitted are gratuitous details of the riot, which did not spend its force for eight months. Bad as it was, The Sack of Rome, 1527, was not the first atrocity committed in history, or the worst. This is not intended as an indictment, or an apology, for war crimes. The Sack of Rome marked a definite turning point in the development of European art. The period between the soaring accomplishments of The Renaissance, and The Baroque is filled with a lively phase of experimentation, now known as mannerism.
15 years after The Sack of Rome, Titian created a suite of paintings for the basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, in Venice. One painting each of the set was on the Bible theme of "David and Goliath," on the "Sacrifice of Isaac," and on the murder of Abel by Cain. All are unquestionably brutal subjects. “Cain and Abel” is the most brutal of the three. It is a glaring example of how historical events drive culture, in this instance painting.
History influences art by memory, neither directly, nor immediately. The Sack of Rome was traumatic. It caused collateral damage far and beyond the point of direct impact, Rome. The horrors of The Sack of Rome drove the imagination of artists in a new direction. The gentle Humanism of the Renaissance was a thing of the past. Henceforth, the new world order would be driven by power, at it most basic, instinctual level of expeditious cruelty.
Titian's “Cain and Abel” is his testimonial to the Sack of Rome's brutality. This is not a Renaissance work of art. Its artistry is diminished (for some) by its effectiveness as propaganda. The monumental scale of the subject's treatment by Titian resembles that of the Renaissance. But look closely. The perspective of the composition places the viewer beneath the scene. The viewer gets a threatened impression, as if the action is about to fall upon him.
The figures of Titian's "Cain and Abel" resemble pagan titans -not the human beings of Bible legend. The muscular draftsmanship of the Renaissance is retained, while the sensitive coloring enjoyed in Renaissance painting is gone. That was not an oversight by Titian. As a work of art it is not intended to be enjoyed. It is to be taken as a warning. Titian is emboldened to take liberties with the Bible tale. The column of smoke depicted in the painting is not as told in the Bible. It is an allusion to the wanton destruction of The Sack of Rome, and the new face of war.