Witches' Lust and the Fall of Man: The Strange Fantasies of Hans Baldung Grien
Category: Books,Arts & Photography,History & Criticism
Witches' Lust and the Fall of Man: The Strange Fantasies of Hans Baldung Grien Details
Hans Baldung Grien (1484-1545) created many drawings and etchings depicting the fantastic behaviour of witches, but only one painting, the world famous "Two Witches" (1523). With his unique artworks, the painter used the gruesome appearance of the supernatural to give casual viewers a nice "safe" scare. His depictions also made the well-educated think about the erotic charisma of women, love and its possible consequences, and female beauty and its mysteries. Using his art, Grien not only ironically comments on medieval attitudes towards witches, but also on the artistic theories of his master, Albrecht Durer.
Reviews
This is the exhibition catalogue for the 2007 Baldung Grien exhibit at the Stadel Museum in Frankfurt. It is bilingual: German and English. It is a very well-made book: sturdy hardcover, nice heavy paper, gorgeous reproductions. While Baldung Grien's artwork is inevitably used whenever the word "witch" appears in print, very little attention has been paid to him as an artist. This exhibit and catalogue remedied that. It's a must for anyone interested in Baldung Grien's drawings and paintings. And as he was Durer's most important student, anyone interested in Durer would find this catalogue very interesting.