1528
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Flaying of Marsyas is a 1528 ink by Parmigianino, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This drawing shows a chaotic, twisted scene of a man being flayed alive. His skin is peeled back in strips, revealing raw flesh beneath. Around him, other figures—some human, some animal-like—watch or join in the violence, their limbs tangled in the chaos. The background is filled with jagged lines and rough textures, making the whole image feel intense and unsettling. The artist used a mix of dark ink and white gouache to create stark contrasts, emphasizing the horror. The messy, swirling lines suggest movement and pain, not just a still moment. Look up gouache to see how artists use it to make bold, opaque colors.
Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola (11 January 1503 – 24 August 1540), also known as Francesco Mazzola or, more commonly, as Parmigianino (UK: , US: , Italian: ; "the little one from Parma"), was an Italian Mannerist…
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