For the last few months my personal research has consisted of witches, witches, and more witches. Now it is Halloween and what better way to celebrate than to display the 18th century's view of witches in art. Gone were the days of witch hunt hysteria and come were the days of the theatrical witch. Goya and Fuseli are perhaps the most famous for their witches but there were a handful more artists who experimented with the theme.
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| Francisco Goya, Witches in the Air, 1797-98 |
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| Francisco Goya, The Witches Sabbath, 1797-98 |
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| Henry Fuseli, The Witch and the Mandrake, 1812 |
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| Henry Fuseli, Macbeth Consulting the Vision of the Armed Head 1793-1794 |
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| John Runciman, The Three Witches, 1767-68 |
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| Francesco Zuccarelli, Macbeth Banquo and the Witches, circa 1760s |
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| John Martin, Macbeth, 1820 |
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| James Gillray, A Phantasmagoria, 1803 |
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| Henry Fuseli, The Three Witches, 1783 |
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| Daniel Gardner, The Three Witches from Macbeth, 1775 |
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| Francisco Goya, Linda Maestra, 1798 |
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| Francisco Goya, The Witches Sabbath, 1823 |
Ah witches, a subject near and dear to my heart. I've always been fond of Goya's work, but I must admit Runciman's piece is a perfect fit for Halloween! Gardner's is spectacular as well. So ethereal!
ReplyDeleteMerry met! Merry Part, Merry meet again.
ReplyDeleteGreat Halloween post.
ReplyDeleteGoya's witches are so effing creepy.
ReplyDeleteI like Daniel Gardner's witches from Macbeth.
ReplyDeleteoh, hooray! Just the sort of post i've been pining for! What an eerily beautiful collction!
ReplyDeleteA belated Happy Halloween!
I love witches. Most of these paintings are spooky, but my favorite is the one with Georgiana. Makes me want to create my own 18th century witch costume.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that the last witch burning was in Spain in 1780? And I believe that the last witch trial recorded was in Britain in the 1890s (a neighbor accused the woman of doing somesuch hex or whatever).