Witchcraft in Art: From Persecution to Reclamation

The article traces the depiction of witchcraft in Western art from the 15th century to the present, highlighting its evolution from a symbol of fear and persecution to one of feminist empowerment. Early works like Martin Le France's 1451 illumination show witches on broomsticks, reflecting the panic fueled by Heinrich Kramer's Malleus Maleficarum (1486) and Pope Innocent III's 1484 bull. The first known witch trials occurred in France in 1428. Artists such as Albrecht Dürer (Witch Riding on a Goat, ca. 1500), Frans Francken the Younger (The Witches Sabbath, 1607), and Salvator Rosa (Witches At Their Incantations, 1646) depicted witches as malevolent. The Pre-Raphaelites, including Frederick Sandys (Medea, 1866), recast witches as powerful, melancholic figures. In the 20th century, feminism and Wicca reclaimed the witch as a symbol of agency, with artists like Carolee Schneeman (Eye Body no. 24, 1963) and Virginia Lee Montgomery (Water Witching, 2018) exploring the theme. Pop culture references include Andy Warhol's 1981 Witch. The article notes that witch hunts persist today, citing Saudi Arabia's Anti-Witchcraft Unit (2009) and the 2011 beheading of Amina Bint Abdul Halim Nassar. Lawyer Claire Mitchell recently secured a pardon for those accused in Scotland under the Witchcraft Act 1563-1736, with a national memorial planned.