Four Witches (Four naked women) Durer Engravings (1471-1528)
Durer Engravings – Four Witches (Four naked women)
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It is safe to say of this painting that it is one of the most popular in Dürer’s oeuvre. The engraving is called The Four Witches, and now we will examine in detail why it is so called by art historians. The engraving depicts a small and dark room that has no decorations or furnishings other than one small lamp. The room somewhat resembles a small cramped bag, which is united by something incomprehensible, mysterious.
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Description of Albrecht Dürer’s The Four Witches
It is safe to say of this painting that it is one of the most popular in Dürer’s oeuvre. The engraving is called The Four Witches, and now we will examine in detail why it is so called by art historians.
The engraving depicts a small and dark room that has no decorations or furnishings other than one small lamp. The room somewhat resembles a small cramped bag, which is united by something incomprehensible, mysterious. Thus, we see before us four naked women, only small cloaks they have with them, but these only emphasize the nakedness of the girls.
We only see each of them half-turned, but the poses are not repeated. The girls are like the four sides of the horizon. But it’s not just their nudity that unites them. The gazes of the young nymphs are directed at something completely invisible and incomprehensible to the average viewer. They see something supernatural.
The girls’ heads are interestingly decorated. Two of them have beautiful headscarves, the one on the left wears a tall and unusual cap, but the fourth one decided to just leave her careless curls and came out with her head uncovered.
Pay attention to the proportions of the girls: one of them has a perfectly small and neat head if you correlate it to the whole body. That said, the profile can be called quite classic. The second is quite beautiful, but her gaze is full of suffering and pain. And in her body she looks much younger than all the other girls around her. As for the third nymph, we simply can not see her face, because she stands with her back to the viewer, but the fourth girl is half hidden from the viewer, as if she is shy to show herself. She has a simple face, but with a rather distrustful grimace.
Comparing the ideals of female beauty of those times and today, we see a great gap, but analyzing the era in which Dürer lived, we can say that the charms of the women depicted were very highly valued.
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The figure on the far left is seen from the back, her body turned away from the viewer. She wears an elaborate headdress that frames her face, which is partially visible as she glances over her shoulder. To her right stands another woman, also viewed from the back, her head adorned with a wreath. Her musculature is emphasized, particularly in her legs, and her hair flows loosely. The third figure is partially obscured by the others, looking intently at the woman on the far right. The fourth woman, on the far right, faces the viewer more directly, her body draped with a cloth that she adjusts. She wears a simple cap and her gaze is expressive.
The scene is rich with symbolic elements that contribute to its subtext. Above the figures, a globe-like object hangs, inscribed with numbers and letters that have been interpreted in various ways, possibly relating to astrology, time, or alchemical symbols. Scattered on the floor are a skull and what appears to be plant matter, classic memento mori symbols suggesting the transience of life and beauty. The presence of these elements, combined with the title Four Witches, invites interpretation of the artwork as a commentary on themes such as vanity, temptation, the passage of time, and the darker aspects of human nature. The nakedness of the women might allude to innocence or vulnerability, but in the context of witchcraft, it could also suggest a connection to primal forces or a departure from societal norms. The overall atmosphere is one of mystery and foreboding.