≽ Onset of Demonic Witchcraft
By the year 1450, a creeping notion of demonic witchcraft
began to brew across the face of Europe. Thirteen years after the infamous
Council of Basel and from the advent of the printing press, the standard image
of the demonic witch was now able to be readily portrayed, allowing
persecutions and accusations of witchcraft to spread like wildfire. With the
social, economic, and cultural devastation across Europe during these times, it
seems that this new hysteria of demonic witchcraft seemed to be the perfect
scapegoat to pass blame for catastrophes.
As the craze of demonic witchcraft continued to develop, the Catholic church finally recognized the existence of witches and created a Papal Bull in 1484 which allowed all Inquisitors to use any means necessary to rid them. In conjunction with the release of the Papal Bull, the release of the Malleus Malificarum in 1487 solidified the idea of demonic witchcraft as a constant and real threat within the communities spanned across Europe.
≽ The Weather Witches
This engraving, created by Albrecht Durer in 1500, depicts
the image of that in which I believe as the main source of witchcraft
accusations at this time, the “Weather Witch”. Although demonic witchcraft
accusations may have stemmed from a conflict of class, political, or even
gender nature, accusations of demonic witchcraft seemed to primarily form in
times that coincide with a devastating event within a community normally in the
form of a natural disaster. These “Weather Witches” were some of the earliest
archetypes of the Witch Hunt and were primarily blamed for any major or
destructive storm. The reason I chose this image though is not due to the excellent
representation of the Weather Witch, but due to how influential this engraving
has been for centuries of future witch-based art.
≽ Engraving Examination
From the first look upon this engraving, numerous staples of
witchcraft paraphernalia can be seen. A villainous hag flying through the sky,
all while grasping her broom and spindle in hand. But the significance of the
image does not come from only these familiar icons, but from the symbolic
nature of which surrounds the witch herself. The Goat that allows the witch to
fly through the air was primarily used as a symbol of lust during the time
period, a true embodiment of the Devil. This infers the idea that although it’s
the witch who is seen committing these deeds, it is truly the Devil that
underlies the situation, using the witch as a vessel and an enabler of
destruction. By far the most curious aspect of this image is Durer’s subtle use
of reversing many graphical elements to exhibit an uncanny reversal of the “natural
order”. This is seen from the witch riding the goat backwards, her hair
trailing in the opposite direction of her wardrobe, and even extends itself to
Durer’s monogram itself. This reversal is an extraordinarily clever way to
convey the overall message of the painting; a terrifying reminder that witches
will only ever bring death and destruction.
Comments
Post a Comment