Almost ubiquitous in Pop culture, the visual stereotype of the witch essentially boils down to 'Young Sexy Witch' or 'Old Crone', we even see these tropes reflected in costume stores each year! But where did this image of the witch come from? How did it evolve? Did it accumulate gradually over time or was the witch 'invented'? And WHAT does Albrecht Durer, a German Renaissance Artist and Printmaker, have to do with this history?

This session will explore the curious point in our collective history where the image of the Witch began to morph; uncovering how the misogynistic and outlandish prints of Albrecht Dürer and his disciple Hans Baldung helped to forge the Witch as we know her today.

This session will explore how the political landscape of Europe helped this image proliferate, far and wide, and why these particular stereotypes are still so insidiously difficult to shake. We will also utilise Julia Kristeva's conception of 'Abjection' and the idea of the 'Monstrous Feminine' to unpick how Durer's conceptualisation of the witch belied a deep rooted mistrust and fear of the powerful, leaky, un-contained and uncontainable female body.

Luisa-Maria MacCormack is a practicing artist, art history tutor, drawing tutor and feminist educator currently working in London. Luisa studied for her Foundation Degree at Chelsea College of Art and for her BA at London College of Fashion specialising in Surface Textiles for Fashion Design. She then went on to study with the Royal Drawing School and completed her MA in Fine Art at City and Guilds of London Art School in 2021. Luisa is one of the founders of London Drawing Group, and the director of The Feminist Lecture Program.

You can follow more of Luisa's work on Instagram at @luisamariamfineart or visit her website at http://www.luisamariamaccormack.co.uk/

This is a recording of a live session hosted by The Feminist Lecture Program in October 2023. The reading list for the class can be found alongside this rental.

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Happy watching!
FLP x