Cain Killing Abel
Original title: Cain Killing Abel
kurzbeschreibung
Albrecht Dürer's woodcut of 1511 presents the Old Testament scene in which Cain kills his brother Abel with an axe. The print belongs to the 'Small Passion' series and ranks among the artist's significant graphic works.
Description
In the foreground Cain swings the axe against Abel, who lies on the ground. Cain is barefoot, with trouser legs attached at the knees, his hair thick and curly, and he wears a beard. Abel's face is contorted, his arms outstretched. A tree extends across the background from right to left. At the top appear the date '1511' and the letters 'AD'. Dense lines and hatching create shadows and textures.
Context
Dürer made this woodcut in 1511 in Nuremberg, when his career as a printmaker was at its peak. The sheet is part of the 'Small Passion', a series of 36 woodcuts on the life and suffering of Christ. In it, the murder of Abel is understood as an Old Testament foreshadowing of Christ's sacrificial death. With such prints, Dürer made biblical narratives accessible to a wide audience.
Impact
The immediate drama and Cain's expressive posture shape the impression. Fine lines and dense hatching produce an intense, almost menacing mood. Because only the figures and the tree appear, the viewer's attention is directed entirely to the action in the foreground.
Technique
Dürer carved this motif into a woodblock for book printing, then took the impression in a small format. The resulting print makes Cain's powerful curly hair and beard, the axe blow on Abel's head, and the shadowed textures of the tree emerge distinctly through fine parallel lines and cross-hatching.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)