The representations of the plague, a terrifying disease that decimated European populations until the 18th century, also struck people’s minds. This is why images of the plague, with a strong symbolic charge, are numerous in art. The plague appears as a punishment, a divine scourge. It has exacerbated the collective imagination and embodies absolute evil.
How can art be perhaps a testimony of an epoch. Art testifies to an epoch by the way it is telling a story, by the style used, the symbols hidden in the works. It makes it possible to show the reaction of Men to this complete reversal of society, to give a point of view and bear witness to an era.
We can see in an example how the plague testified to an immense fear of the population, thinking they were receiving a divine punishment.
We can focus on a painting that appeared in the 1400s by an anonymous painter. This painting was painted around 1437 according to x. This scene would take place in Siena, Italy, a city that was devastated by disease. This painting ‘the allegory of the plague’, showing a representation of black death.
In this painting, we can see directly the painter’s representation of the plague. It is represented by a faceless demon with black wings on a galloping horse. The horse is depicted in movement, which could be testifying to the speed at which the disease spreads, without limits. Notably, we can see how the demon and its horse have no boundaries, he enters the house and throws its arrows through the walls, emphasizing the strength of the contaminating force of the plague. The passage of the disease between people is symbolised by arrows, which means that the person has been infected by the disease. The painting depicts a scene of chaos where a whole population is infected with the disease, and already half of them have died from it. We understand a violent scene, which testifies the fear of the era that has faced the deadliest pandemic ever known. The divine is also represented by the character spreading the disease, it is like a divine judgement. It is a testimony of the medieval period and permits us to learn how it was like to live during the plague.
This art tool is a testimony of an epoch and it provides contextual information to understand more deeply what was occurring at the moment, the fear and emotions felt by the populations during this crisis.