Suicide of Lucretia 1515

Titian painted the Suicide of Lucretia in oil paint, sometime in the 16th century. Oil paint in the Renaissance was itself a relatively new technology. Pigments ground in oil allowed for a wider range of colors, more subtle gradations of tone, and a greater illusion of depth and texture. Notice how Titian skillfully models Lucretia's skin, with delicate highlights and shadows. The creation of oil paint involved a complex division of labor. Pigments were sourced from around the world. Laborers were needed to mine raw materials. Artisans prepared them, apothecaries mixed the paints, and merchants traded them across vast distances. Titian would have purchased his materials, relying on an entire economic system. His genius lay in the ways he then deployed those materials, manipulating the viscous paint to describe flesh, fabric, and emotional intensity. Titian's mastery of oil painting reflected a changing world, where artistic skill was intertwined with global commerce and sophisticated production processes.