Cain Killing Abel

Cain Killing Abel is a powerful woodcut on laid paper created by Albrecht Dürer in 1511. This piece exemplifies Dürer’s mastery of the print medium during the height of the German Renaissance, produced between 1501 to 1550. This classification as a print emphasizes its potential for mass dissemination, a key element of the artist’s commercial and artistic strategy, which allowed his complex theological and narrative imagery to reach wide audiences across Europe.

The subject matter, depicting the Old Testament narrative of the first murder, captures the dramatic culmination of the biblical conflict. Dürer depicts Cain, characterized by physical exertion and rage, wielding a jawbone to strike down his innocent brother, Abel. The tension inherent in the violence is amplified by the contrast between the aggressor’s dynamic pose and the victim’s defenselessness. The treatment of the figures, set against a stylized landscape, reflects Dürer's ongoing study of classical anatomy, applied rigorously even within the stark black-and-white lines characteristic of woodcut technique. The technical execution shows the artist’s skill in manipulating line density to create deep shadows and dramatic highlights, intensifying the emotional violence of the scene. This sophisticated blending of Italianate anatomical ideals with the expressive intensity of Northern European graphic art defines much of Dürer’s later output.

As one of the most influential German artists of his era, Dürer’s work revolutionized printmaking. This specific impression is part of the distinguished collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., where it serves as a critical example of early 16th-century graphic art. Given the artwork’s age and historical significance, many high-resolution impressions of this celebrated woodcut are now frequently made available through public domain archives, ensuring the enduring accessibility and influence of Dürer’s seminal biblical prints.