Hans Baldung Grien (German, 1484/85-1545)
Zwei Hexen (Two Witches), 1523
Oil and tempera on limewood
65.3 x 45.6 cm (25 11/16 x 17 15/16 in.)
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Photo © Ursula Edelman
(If you are looking for subtlety here, forget about it. During the Northern Renaissance, witches were portrayed as evil women. Malevolent, naked, seductive women. Sinister, smirking, Fall of Man-causing women. Much like Eve in the Book of Genesis, minus the mitigating Satan/serpent flimflam factor. You can read all about this I-wish-I-could-say-it-no-longer-exists mindset here in "Christian Imagery and Witchcraft in Prints by Hans Baldung Grien" by Stan Parchin.)
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Comments
Hmmm. Definitely makes you wonder about the artist’s relationships with women!
Interesting perspective. I wonder what they would think of our modern world. Certainly there are these types in plenty. Thankfully most of our world is more accepting of peoples differences and there is no more burning the stake.
I have visited many art galaries around the world and the one that I love the most was the Womens Art Museum in Washington D.C. All that beautiful art done by women? How could they hide it all these years.
Many museum I will ask when I enter where the women artists are located and of course they don’t have any on display. The same is true with women Music composers. Days go by on Minnesota Public radio without a single woman composer and there are many.
Thank you for your work. Margot L. King
I can’t help thinking there’s a sort of ‘everywoman’ feel to this picture – either the artist regards all women as witches (well that would hardly be a surprise) or the ‘witch’ thing is just a pretext for nudity and the presentation of two rather well-proportioned (by Northern Renaissance standards) young women for the viewer’s
titillationedification.Even the little trumpet-bearing cherub is bewitched by them!
Helen, IMO, your assessment of this painting is right on target.
I must now change my past comment about Minnesota Public radio not playing compositions by women. It has greatly changed and I am very very pleased. Also, many women symphony conductors are heard.
Since I wrote my last comment about not hearing any or very few musical compositions by women on Minnesota Public Radio, I have heard quite a few beautiful works of art by women, I thank MPR for their progressive ideology to play more womens musical compositions on the radio. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Now, I would like to hear some fine music on your jazz programs by Galen Abdur Rassaq, an incredible jazz flutist who is a very fine lecturer/speaker on the history of jazz. Through him you can hear some of the most wonderful jazz composed by African Americans from Hampton Haws to Lionel Hampton and arranged by Galen. Look for him where you live, for he visits many universities around the US and you are welcome to hear his beautiful flute music. Margot