Titian (Tiziano Vecellio) (Italian, Pieve di Cadore ca. 1485/90?–1576 Venice), Tarquin and Lucretia, ca. 1570–1576. Oil on canvas, 44 7/8 × 39 3/8 in. (114 × 100 cm) Framed: 56 7/16 in. × 51 in. × 2 15/16 in. (143.3 × 129.5 × 7.5 cm). Vienna, Akademie der bildenden Künste, Gemäldegalerie © Akademie der bildenden Künste, Gemäldegalerie, Vienna 

Late in his life, Titian painted three versions of the rape of Lucretia by her husband’s guest, the Etruscan prince Sextus Tarquinius, of which this is the most experimental. As one recent critic has said, the paintings seem the result of the elderly Titian’s interest in "extreme tragedies, in the paradox of unjustified actions." Technical examination has shown that the artist changed his mind about the figures’ positions and relationships, and although the surface has great energy, nowhere does it seem entirely resolved. Yet the psychological drama between the two protagonists is penetrating: they seem gripped by their own thoughts but caught in a momentary balance. It is impossible to say whether the painting is literally unfinished, but it is more likely that the artist deliberately used the non finito technique to best convey the tragic story. 

This work is exhibited in the “Unfinished: Thoughts Left Invisible” exhibition, on view through September 4th, 2016. #MetBreuer