El aquelarre, de Goya: una mirada subversiva

Abstract

El aquelarre is a painting made by Goya in 1797 as a commission by the Dukes of Osuna. Here, the Spanish painter presents a meeting between witches and a goat, which represents the Devil, in which various human sacrifices appear. In this painting, Goya takes the referent of the witch, whose meaning had undergone an enormous alteration since the Inquisition. In this way, the concept went from meaning a wise person, with knowledge of medicine, to being a sinful, corrupt and evil individual who had a close relationship with the Devil. From this point on, witches suffered massive persecution, although the main victims were weak women, socially relegated. In El aquelarre, Goya subverts the concept of a witch and vindicates all these victims of persecution.