The Witches’ Sabbath by Goya is a well-known painting by the Spanish master that is part of a series of six works dedicated to the theme of witchcraft.
Description of the Painting
In Goya’s painting, a large goat stands semi-erect. Its eyes are large, yellow, sharp, and unsettling, with vine twigs intertwined between its horns. Surrounding the animal are several semi-nude women. One of them offers the goat a well-fed child, while an older woman presents the skeleton of an infant. On the left, another witch carries a staff with small bodies hanging from it. The ground is littered with the corpses of other children, while a flock of bats flies above the witches. The night is finally illuminated by the crescent-shaped moonlight.
Interpretations and Symbolism of the Work
The figures in the painting The Witches’ Sabbath are inspired by a traditional theme that intellectuals of Goya’s time considered a cultural fad. Additionally, Goya and the Duke of Osuna, who commissioned the works, likely intended to stigmatize certain forms of superstition contrary to their Enlightenment spirit. The goat represents a diabolical entity performing a witches’ rite. The ritual proceeds with the offering of a living child of robust appearance. The scattered corpses of children on the ground testify to previous sacrifices.
The Style of Goya’s The Witches’ Sabbath
Goya was an eclectic artist, difficult to classify. He remained in a balance between Enlightenment Rationalism and Romanticism. The Spanish master started with Neoclassical tendencies, which he then surpassed with depictions of popular everyday life, paving the way for Realism. Additionally, by painting fantastic images, he promoted similar Romantic tendencies.
Color and Lighting
In the foreground, the colors of the figures are warm and tend towards yellow tones, such as the very prominent dress of the woman seen from behind. In the background, the colors of the characters become grayer and darker. The landscape and sky are painted with cool colors that darken towards the top of the painting. The crescent moon illuminates the dark sky. The scene is further revealed by a cold light coming from the left.
Space
The scene is entirely resolved in the foreground, where the witches are gathered around the large goat. The landscape is then formed by natural backdrops represented by different levels of hills overlapping towards the horizon. Depth is also constructed through aerial perspective and the changing quality of colors. In the foreground, colors are warm, bright, and contrasted. Progressively towards the background, they become cool, gray, and lose their luminosity contrasts.
Composition and Framing
Goya’s canvas is rectangular with a vertical orientation. The framing therefore emphasizes the figure of the goat in a semi-erect position. The witches are arranged in two curves, positioned above and below around the animal.
Conclusion
The Witches’ Sabbath is certainly a painting as disturbing as it is fascinating, capturing the viewer with its macabre imagery and hypnotizing them with this majestic figure at the center of the painting.
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