So this weekend I immersed myself in the world of witchcraft and all things wicked at the British Museum's free exhibition, 'Witches and Wicked Bodies.'
I wasn't actually intending to go to this exhibition. It was purely by coincidence that I spotted the exhibition poster as I was on my way to the British Library and something made me double back and head straight to the gallery. Was it fate or witchcraft which lured me into the exhibition? Whatever the reason it piqued my attention and my original plans were dropped.
We've all got our own interpretations and visions of witches. They are either the macabre or prophetic witches from Shakespeare's Macbeth, the eccentric and comical child-haters in Roald Dahl's the Witches or clever know it all Hermione Granger from Harry Potter. However; for centuries witches have been interpreted, reinterpreted, misinterpreted and sexualised in reality and in the art world.
The exhibition at the British Museum uncovers the relationship between witches, sorcery and artistic imagination via sketchings and paintings from the last 500 years. Initially inspired by Greek sorceresses Circe (men beware! One toe out of line with her and she'll turn you into an animal) and Medea the works of art transformed into grotesque depictions in the early 16th Century (clear obsession with witches appearing naked with unfortunate sagging boobs) to the pre-raphelite age where the witch was reconstructed as a "femme fatale."
But why were witches depicted in such a crude manner in art and literature? You learn as you walk through the exhibition that it was born out of a fear of social, economic and female influence. The 'evils' of female influence is particularly prevalent in the art work with the constant presence of snakes - a reminder of Eve and how easily she was tempted in the garden of Eden. Yes, we are still paying for that one. This fear is also summed up by a quote from an essay by Joris-Karl Huysmans which the curator conveniently places at the end of the exhibition which says; "Woman demonic.. [is a] creature of hell...the repository of all iniquities and crime, the only ambassador delegated by all the vices to ensnare men's souls."
Drawing back to my good old history lessons, I can recollect learning about the numbers of people persecuted and killed for suspected witchcraft. Although most will think of Harry Potter and the fun and excitement that comes from being a witch or wizard when it comes to magic, in the 16th Century to be considered a witch was a crime punishable by death. Makes you think twice about applying for Hogwarts.
The exhibition is free and lasts till the 11th January 2015. You can also check out the engravings at Friday Lates - with Halloween just around the corner who knows what spooky occurrences will happen! Visit www.britishmuseum.org for more information.
Just one last thing! No spooky blog post would be complete without my top five witches, good and bad!
1. The Grand High Witch, The Witches
2. Glinda the Good Witch, The Wizard of Oz
3. The Three Weird Sisters, Macbeth
4. Minerva McGonagall, Harry Potter
5. The Queen, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
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