Steven Jones

Incompatible Truths Steven Jones

The painter Titian towards the end of his life broke from the very school he helped found. Most notable was his Flaying of Marsyas. It is about a bet made between Apollo and Marsysas who was the greater musician. Marsyas, losing the bet, must be flayed by Apollo. The painting creates controversy now just as it did then. Is it gruesome or a thing of beauty? Renaissance Neoplatonists saw it as a victory for Marsyas, symbolizing a liberation of the Spirit from the flesh. Others saw it as the price for challenging a god to a duel. Still others see it as symbolic of what happens when one lets their passions get the best of them. In the painting we see 'reason' off to the side devoutly playing music to the gods. In many ways the painting could represent the modern milieu of the Church. What some see as a liberating of the Spirit, others see as a brutal gutting of everything sacred. Like the Flaying of Marsyas, it is difficult to tell without the true story. This is the story.