It’s spooky season, and we at Abir Pothi are nothing if not avid followers of festive moods. Following are 11 horrifically mesmerizing and beautifully spine-chilling paintings to give you the perfect feel this Halloween.
1. Judith Slaying Holofernes
Known as one of the most iconic works of Artemesia Gentileschi, “Judith Slaying Holofernes” is a grotesque yet visually stunning piece of art. Inspired by the Book of Judith in the Old Testament wherein Judith along with her maid beheads a drunken sleeping general Holofernes. The gore from the blood and the brutal act of slaying the general makes this painting a strong depiction of the “power of woman” as described by the historian Susan L. Smith. Gentileschi is specifically said to emphasize the “wiles of woman” in this particular artwork.
2. Dante and Virgil in Hell
Painted by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, a French Painter, Dante and Virgil is inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy. In the painting, alchemist Capocchio is being bitten by a fraud Gianni Schicchi. These two are meanwhile being watched over by the author and guide i.e. Dante and Virgil. This painting is a neoclassical oil on canvas and the depiction of fury through highlighted muscles and tendons was distinctly appreciated by the critics.
3. Saturn Devouring His Son
Created by the famous Dark painter, Francisco Goya, Saturn Devouring His Son is influenced by the myth of Titan Cronus. Following a prophecy that declared one of his kids would overthrow him in the future, Cronus swallowed all of his children. This is one of the Black Paintings by Goya painted between 1820 -23.
4. Witches’ Flight
Another painting by Francisco Goya, Witches’ Flight was a part of a series of paintings on witchcraft for the Duke and Duchess of Osuna. The painting shows three witches levitating in the air as if sucking on a nude figure, two figures on the ground seemingly escaped the witches, with one (the figure in the middle) covering his head with a blanket whilst also showing the fig hand sign (which is used to keep away the evil eye) and the other by facing the ground and covering his ears. There is also the presence of an unbothered donkey which supposedly represents ignorance.
5. The Ghost of a Flea
Painted by the famous English poet William Blaked who was also a painter and a printmaker. The painting, “The Ghost of a Flea” was among a series of paintings commissioned by John Varley. According to Varley, the ideation of this particular painting came to Blake during a séance wherein he saw an apparition of a Flea. In the painting, this monstrous form of a flea from the perspective of William Blake is shown devouring a bowl of blood.
6. The Severed Head
This creepy masterpiece is by the Raft-of-Medusa-famed painter, Theodore Gericault. In order to make this painting a perfection, Gericault studies several corpses and severed heads. The painting shows the two severed heads (a female and a male), with special attention to details and usage of the light-dark technique.
7. Massacre of The Innocents
This painting by Peter Paul Reubens takes inspiration from Matthews (2:13-18). It is the biblical depiction of the Massacre of the Innocents in Bethlehem. This is the first of the two versions of this painting by Rubens painted between 1611-12. The presence of raw dramatics and the usage of Chiaroscuro in the painting shows inspiration from Baroque painters such as Carravagio.
8. Pyramid of Skulls
One of the famous paintings by Paul Cezanne, the Pyramid of Skulls was created in 1901. It is an oil on canvas that depicts four human skulls stacked in an almost pyramidical format. Between the years 1898-1905, Cezanne had a particular obsession with skulls. He had regularly depicted mortality through his paintings which can be attributed to the passing of his mother and the lonely years of his later life.
9. The Garden of Earthly Delights
Painted by Hieronymus Bosch, this particular painting by him has had a lot of criticism and interpretations by scholars for hundreds of years. The painting is a Triptych, the exterior of which shows the creation of the world and the interior depicts a series of three paintings. The first painting is deciphered to be The Garden of Eden, the second is the Garden of Earthly Delights, and the third is the depiction of Hell.
10. Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Specter
Created by the Japanese artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi, this painting is also a wooden triptych. This form of art was known as Ukiyo-e. The painting depicts the mythical scene of Princess Takiyasha summoning a skeleton by reciting a spell on a handscroll in order to frighten Mitsukuni who was an official from the court of a rival emperor.
11. The Triumph of Death
Painted by Peter Bruegel the Elder, “The Triumph of Death” showcases a barren lifeless and rotten landscape being destroyed by skeletons. Bruegel has hidden his depiction of Atropos, Clotho and Lachesis, the three goddesses of fate. The famous metal band Black Sabbath has also used this painting as the cover for one of their compilation albums.
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Vaishnavi Srivastava is a learning writer, a keen researcher and a literature enthusiast. She is a Sub-editor at Abir Pothi.
