Halloween of art - historical works that fear we fear

Halloween has a fascinating connection to the art world through its eerie charm and its enchanting mysticism. Numerous historical paintings with their topics, colors and atmosphere cause the spirit of Halloween.

In this article we will initially examine four iconic paintings - "American Gothic" , "The girl with the pearl ear hanging" , "The cry" and "Saturn devoured his son" - who despite her different styles and origin bring something incredibly beautiful into the world of art .

After this entry into the eerily beautiful works of large masters in art history, we will introduce a few more works that still let us run over our backs at the sight of Schauer.

Halloween-eerily beautiful custom from the USA

The festival has a long tradition in the United States, especially in the United States. But the creepy Halloween festival is not only celebrated in the United States every year on October 31. With us in Germany, too, the scary night finds more and more fans.

It is an integral part of tradition that the children go to house disguised and ask for sweets. The exclamation is "sweet or acid" . Halloween costumes for children are now also in a similar abundance as in the United States.

At first glance, it may be surprising that children in particular like to scare themselves and are fascinated by frightening costumes.

Interestingly, according to psychologists, the scary night, according to psychologists, helps children to process their fears and soak up self-confidence. Witches, monsters, ghosts also have an educational benefit, could be argued.

4 iconic works that carry the spirit of Halloween

Halloween and art have a special connection through the emotions and inner pictures that they cause. Famous historical works such as "American Gothic", "Girl with the pearl ear ring", "The cry" and "Saturn devours his son" each contribute to the dark and urgent mood that is connected to the festival.

Whether through strong realism, mysterious mystery or existential fears - these works of art testify to the ability of art to conjure up the essence of Halloween all year round.

"American Gothic" by Grant Wood

In “American Gothic” by Grant Wood, the viewers are captivated by the gloomy atmosphere and the rigid eyes of the peasant couple. The cool color palette and the stiff composition create an atmosphere of anxiety and mysterious.

It almost seems that the figures behind their faces are hiding an unknown story that is only waiting to be revealed. This disturbing and yet fascinating aura of the painting captivates the viewers again and again and makes it a timeless masterpiece in art history.

"Girl with the pearl ear ring" by Johannes Vermeer

Johannes Vermeer 's painting "Girl with the Perlen ear ring" at first glance, at first glance, does not seem to have anything to do with Halloween, it radiates an aura of secret and magic that is connected to the festival. The delicate beauty of the young girl, the sparkling pearl ear ring and the play of light and shadow in the composition of the artwork create a fascinating atmosphere.

This masterpiece looks like a mysterious whisper from the past, a mysterious presence that perfectly captures the timeless charm of Halloween. The deep, dark background apparently envelops the girl in a veil of the secret, while her big, dark eyes pull the viewer into the depth of the painting, similar to the uncanny attraction of the Halloween night.

"The cry" by Edvard Munch Edvard

Munch's painting "The Cry" of 1893 embodies existential fear and the fear that can pursue us in the spirit. The disturbed figure on the bridge, surrounded by swirling, side handles, symbolizes the fear and the chaos, which often shape Halloween folklore and nightmares.

The twisted, ghostly and nightmare quality of the painting reflects the eerie atmosphere of Halloween. It visually represents the goosebumps experience that this holiday can cause by addressing our innermost thoughts.

"Saturn devoured his son" by Francisco de Goya

Francisco de Goya is considered the last of the old champions and the first of the modern master. During his life he was a successful painter and graphic artist of Spanish romanticism. He studied with José Luzán y Martinez and Anton Raphael Mengs and later became the court painter of the Spanish royal family.

After getting sick and deaf in 1793, his works became ever darker. One of his paintings shows Saturn, who eats his children to avoid prophecy.

This work is part of the so -called "black paintings", which Goya painted directly on the walls of his house near Madrid. Although he did not intend to see others, the painting of Saturn is particularly disturbing.

Other scary works of art full of horror and horror

Ghosts, skeletons, demons and witches: art history is rich in characters that teach you fear. These iconic representations of creepy creatures are firmly anchored in the collective memory and have inspired countless artists to create their own interpretations of the eerie.

From Francisco de Goya's dark works from the 18th century to modern horror icons such as Freddy Krueger or Slender Man-the scary and mysterious has a permanent place in the art world and mirrors T often deeply rooted fears and uncertainties of society.

"The nightmare" by Heinrich Füssli

Füssli's painting "The Nightmare" has frightened the viewers since his first exhibition at the Royal Academy in 1782. The audience of the 18th century was scared and at the same time outraged by the sexual connotation of the painting, which shows a sleeping woman over which a small monster sits.

This mythological being is a so -called incubus that sits on the chest of sleeping people together with his female counterpart, the sukkubus. It remains unclear whether the painting represents the woman's dream or what actually happens to her.

With his representation of sex, dreams and the unconscious Füssli's paintings later gain great importance in psychoanalytic research, and Freud even had an impression on the wall of his apartment.

"The temptation of St. Antonius" by Joos van Craesbeeck

The painting by Joos van Craesbeeck, which was influenced by Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Brueghel, shows St. Antonius next to a huge head that is populated by countless devilish creatures and demons. These stream out of the man's skull, almost like evil thoughts that adopt a physical form.

In addition, unusual elements such as a painter, glasses and a bird nest can be seen there, the importance of which the viewer can interpret.

The detailed representation of the uncanny creatures and demons in 'The temptation of St. Antonius' is skillfully visualized by the dark side of human thoughts and temptations, explains Professor Müller, a recognized art historian.

The connection to Halloween lies in the representation of horror and threats, which embodies the darker side of human nature. Through his impressive ability to implement abstract ideas into concrete pictures, the artist creates a dark atmosphere that is both fascinating and frightening.

"Die Nacht" by Aksel Waldermar Johannessen

Aksel Waldemar Johannessen was a Norwegian artist of humanistic painting, who concentrated in his works on the working class and dark topics. He is called Norway's "forgotten artist" because his recognition only came after his death.

Johannessen learned sculpture and painting and first earned his livelihood as a furniture manufacturer, later as a painter. His works were characterized by an autobiographical reference because he suffered from alcoholism for many years. The paintings range from grotesques to idyllic representations that address sexuality, violence, prostitution, alcoholism and war.

On one of his paintings, his wife was portrayed as a ghostly figure in the park. The use of colors (dark background colors in contrast to the bright blue and yellow tones of the figure) gives the painting a creepy and uncanny effect.

"The Ghost of Kohada Koheiji" by Katsushika Hokusai

Hokusai was a famous Japanese artist from the Edo period. His best -known work is "the big wave before Kanagawa", which everyone has seen before. Hokusai began to paint at a young age and learned his father's art as Mirrors maker for the Shōgun.

As a teenager, he then learned wood carving, print graphics and painting as an apprentice. In the course of his career, he developed various artistic styles and always changed his name.

This terrifying painting shows a scene from a Japanese legend, in which a murdered actor blows his wife and lover. The representation of the zombie actor is creepy, attached to the skull with some hair and skin. Due to the mosquito net, the painting looks very scary by looking at the zombie actor in an urgent way.

"Study according to Velázquez portrait of Pope Innocent X" by Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon was an artist from Ireland and Great Britain, who became known for his coarse painting style and religious motifs. He only started painting late in his life after working as an interior designer, connoisseur and player for a long time.

His works often concentrated on a specific topic over longer periods. After the suicide of his lovers, his paintings became darker, more introspective and dealt more with the offense of time and death. In the course of his career, Bacon repeatedly returned to the portrait of Innocent X. Velázquez and created his own interpretations of the original.

This examination of the original is often seen as Bacon's best representation of a Pope. Due to the powerful use of purple colors and lines, Bacon transforms the image of Pope Innocent X. into a terrifying representation that almost looks like a demonic, tormented spirit.

"Premonition" by Henryk Weyssenhoff

Henryk Weyssenhoff was an artist from Poland and Belarus who specializes in landscape painting, illustration and sculpture. He came from the Livonian nobility, but spent most of his childhood in the Urals after his father was banished to Siberia. His first art teacher was Lucjan Kraszewski.

After graduating from the Imperial Academy of the Arts in Saint Petersburg in 1885, he received a silver medal and the official title "Künstler".

His painting shown here is characterized by an essential atmosphere, which is created by the violet color palette and the delicate brush strokes. The fog and the smoke in the picture together with the scary ghostly figure in the middle and the frightened howling dogs give this work of art an incredible power.

When looking at the painting, you can literally feel the atmosphere and the fear shown in it.

"Spirit of the Amme Iohata" by Kunisada

Utagawa Kunisada created this Ukiyo-e woodcut in 1824. Instead of showing a spirit himself, he represents the actor Onoe Kikugoro III, who plays the role of the spirit of the Amme Iohata in a Kabuki performance.

The detailed representation of the costumes and expressions gives the artwork a fascinating vitality and allows the viewer to dive deep into the world of the Kabuki theater.

Due to the presentation of tradition and craft in a timeless form, this work remains an important example of the Japanese art culture of the 19th century.

"The Spirit of a flea" by William Blake

William Blake is mainly famous for his poems, although he also created many paintings. His paintings contain philosophical and supernatural elements, but are kept in a romantic style. A painting by him was inspired by a "spiritual vision" that he had; The souls of greedy and bloodthirsty people are said to be contained in the fleas.

Blake's representation of the flea as a human -like character could indicate that people have terrible properties or that there is no clear separation between humans and animals. By using dark and steamed earth tones, Blake manages to make the flea look extremely creepy.

This character is a nightmare fabric that grows into its victims through the darkness.

"Maskenstillleben III" by Emil Nolde

Emil Nolde, a German-Danish artist of Expressionism, devoted himself intensively to painting. He was one of the pioneers who experimented early on with the use of oil and watercolor paints. Today he is best known for his colorful paintings, which are often used yellow and red tones and are characterized by an impressive brush technology.

Although Nolde worked in a creative profession at a young age, he only dared to dare to devote himself entirely to art . The painting said, a study on masks in the Berlin Museum, impresses with its lively colors and the powerful brush strokes that give the work a macabre and almost surreal character.

"The temptation of St. Antonius" by Salvator Rosa

Rosa was an Italian artist of the Baroque, who was known for her rebellious way. He learned art with relatives, but had to take responsibility for the care and maintenance of his family after the death of his father.

On the advice of Giovanni Lanfranco, Rosa moved to Rome to work there. After returning to Naples, he began to explore dark landscapes and create romantic, picturesque works. Although he painted in a classic style, Salvator Rosa often chose more imaginative motifs than was common at the time.

The painting shown shows a scene from the life of St. Antonius of Athanasius, in which it is attacked in the Egyptian desert of demons. Rosa's representation of the demons is particularly frightening and scary.

Oil painting (without title) by Zdzisław Beksiński

Zdzisław Beksiński was a Polish artist who specialized in surreal dystopian art. His style is often described as a baroque or Gothic with expressionist elements. Although he studied architecture, he discovered that the architecture was not fun and began to deal with sculpture, photography and painting instead.

His paintings often express fears, especially in his later, more scary works. An uninitated, dark painting shows two skeletons that hug each other.

Painted in dark, earthy red tones, this powerful work conveys a feeling of striving between life and the inevitability of death. I think that this painting is particularly emotional because it picks up deep human fears.

"Hexensabbat" by Francisco Goya

The main character of this scene is the devil, which is portrayed as a big billy goat and receives two babies, either as an offering or as part of an initiation ceremony in witchcraft.

Goya had a preference for painting witches. He was equally fascinated by superstition and fantastic pictures, but also critical of their irrationality and ignorance of superstitious practices.

Interestingly, many of this painting actually interpret as a criticism of the Catholic religious zeal of the Spanish Inquisition, where fear and irrationality produced the worst of human nature.

"The Guillotine" by Jean Louis Théodore Géricault

This terrifying painting was created by the French artist Théodore Géricault. The French painter received lessons in English sports art and classic composition by Carl Vernet and Pierre-Narcisse Guérin. Despite his great talent, he bored neoclassicism and instead painted in the romantic style.

The cruelty of this special painting lies in the fact that the heads of Géricault were discovered in the Paris Mortage House. Obviously, he was not afraid to research emotional and morbid topics, and tragically placed these heads as if they were going to sleep peacefully.

I think it is deeply human to be both afraid of death and to be fascinated.

"The Face of War" by Salvador Dalí

Salvador Dalí is one of the most famous surrealistic artists in the world. The Spanish artist worked in various areas such as painting, sculpture, film and jewelry. His imaginative and eccentric style perfectly matched his surrealistic work.

This terrifying painting was created during Dalí's stay in California and was inspired by the war trauma. The infinity, which is indicated by the recurring faces in the eyes and mouth, conveys the feeling of being persecuted by the memory of the people lost in the endless war.

In addition, the portrait is painted in front of a barren and bleak background, which indicates the feeling of isolation that goes hand in hand with depression.

This painting is most likely a post -traumatic stress disorder and is urgent and emotional; It conveys the general feeling of being devoured by the mental illness that the war left. Dalí himself believed that his work was a premonition of the upcoming war.

"Princess Takiyasha summon a skeletal ghost to scare Mitsukuni" by Utagawa Kunyoshi

Utagawa Kuniyoshi has often portrayed myths, legends and historical stories in his woodcuts, as in this from 1844, which shows the princess Takiyasha how she conjures up a skeleton to frighten ōya no Mitsukuni.

Here you can see how the princess recites a spell that is written on a manual scroll while the huge skeletal specter breaks through the palace walls.

"Spanish Dancer at the Moulin Rouge" by Giovanni Boldini

This talented artist from Italy was referred to as the "master of Swish" . Boldini completed his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence and met the Macchiaioli painter, who had a strong influence on him.

Boldini is mainly known for his portrait paintings, but he also painted landscapes and other topics. His painting of a Spanish dancer in Moulin Rouge, which perfectly captures the movement of the dance, is particularly impressive.

The painting gets an uncanny note from the variety of hands - it seems as if a spirit is being pursued by the dancer.

"The abbey in the oak forest" by Caspar David Friedrich

In Caspar David Friedrich's paintings there are often strong contrasts that put figures in a concise relief through shadows and light. This converts details about simple, powerful shapes that can serve as symbols or allegories.

The bare tree tendrils in this picture give us an intense, broken sky. The dark mood that Friedrich held still seems to float over this real place.

"Head of a skeleton with a burning cigarette" by Vincent van Gogh

In order to complete this post with a somewhat lighter note, we look at this painting by Vincent van Gogh .

This painting, which shows a skeleton with a burning cigarette in the mouth, was created by the young student van Gogh as a kind of joke.

Vincent van Gogh is one of the most famous artists. The Dutch post -impressionist painter devoted himself to landscapes, still lifes and portraits; Overall, he created over two thousand paintings, most of which have been created in his last years.

Van Gogh suffered from various mental illnesses such as depression, psychotic episodes and delusions that kept leading him to psychiatric clinics. During his studies at the art academy in Antwerp, van Gogh painted this work at the beginning of 1886, where anatomical drawings belonged to routine.

Instead of taking this exercise seriously, van Gogh immersed his skeleton with a burning cigarette in the mouth. This slightly rebellious humor will always be remembered.

The Museum of Frights - even more spook and creep from art history

You want even more scary stories and uncanny works, places and objects full of mysteries and dark secrets around Halloween. Then the Museum of Frights of the Google Arts & Culture Project would be recommended.

In it you will find an enchanted archive of creepy culture, art and history with art collections of the Museo Lázaro Galdiano (Madrid), Detroit Institute of Arts, The Munch Museum (Oslo), Chudnow Collection at the Cedarburg History Museum, Huntington Museum of Art and British Museum (London).