‘Dulle Griet’ in seventeenth-century Flemish painting: a risible image of popular peasant culture
This article investigates the representation of “dulle Griet” by the seventeenth-century artists David II Teniers and David III Ryckaert in the context of Catholic Flanders. In a society preoccupied with hierarchical order both the state and church aimed to root out archaic beliefs and customs, and...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of the Free State
2011-04-01
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| Series: | Acta Academica |
| Online Access: | https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/aa/article/view/1308 |
| _version_ | 1797271051899502592 |
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| author | Bernadette van Haute |
| author_facet | Bernadette van Haute |
| author_sort | Bernadette van Haute |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
This article investigates the representation of “dulle Griet” by the seventeenth-century artists David II Teniers and David III Ryckaert in the context of Catholic Flanders. In a society preoccupied with hierarchical order both the state and church aimed to root out archaic beliefs and customs, and to save society from witchcraft. The representations of mad Meg are interpreted as comic archaisms satirising the magical culture of the peasants to confirm the superiority of the urban elite. While these imaginative inventions heightened their artistic prestige and social standing, it is argued that the painters also contributed to the efforts to demystify the ideology of witch hunting.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T04:43:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8fe21ebae8594d94be7ecb42e83e285f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0587-2405 2415-0479 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-25T02:14:01Z |
| publishDate | 2011-04-01 |
| publisher | University of the Free State |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Acta Academica |
| spelling | doaj.art-8fe21ebae8594d94be7ecb42e83e285f2024-03-07T11:11:40ZengUniversity of the Free StateActa Academica0587-24052415-04792011-04-01432‘Dulle Griet’ in seventeenth-century Flemish painting: a risible image of popular peasant cultureBernadette van Haute0University of South Africa This article investigates the representation of “dulle Griet” by the seventeenth-century artists David II Teniers and David III Ryckaert in the context of Catholic Flanders. In a society preoccupied with hierarchical order both the state and church aimed to root out archaic beliefs and customs, and to save society from witchcraft. The representations of mad Meg are interpreted as comic archaisms satirising the magical culture of the peasants to confirm the superiority of the urban elite. While these imaginative inventions heightened their artistic prestige and social standing, it is argued that the painters also contributed to the efforts to demystify the ideology of witch hunting. https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/aa/article/view/1308 |
| spellingShingle | Bernadette van Haute ‘Dulle Griet’ in seventeenth-century Flemish painting: a risible image of popular peasant culture Acta Academica |
| title | ‘Dulle Griet’ in seventeenth-century Flemish painting: a risible image of popular peasant culture |
| title_full | ‘Dulle Griet’ in seventeenth-century Flemish painting: a risible image of popular peasant culture |
| title_fullStr | ‘Dulle Griet’ in seventeenth-century Flemish painting: a risible image of popular peasant culture |
| title_full_unstemmed | ‘Dulle Griet’ in seventeenth-century Flemish painting: a risible image of popular peasant culture |
| title_short | ‘Dulle Griet’ in seventeenth-century Flemish painting: a risible image of popular peasant culture |
| title_sort | dulle griet in seventeenth century flemish painting a risible image of popular peasant culture |
| url | https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/aa/article/view/1308 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT bernadettevanhaute dullegrietinseventeenthcenturyflemishpaintingarisibleimageofpopularpeasantculture |