Witches' Flight by Francisco Goya (Interpretation and Analysis)

Witches' Flight
Source: Museo del Prado

There are few artists who imbue more magic and mystery in their art than Spanish painter and print-maker Francisco Goya. The supernatural was a recurring theme in his work. In fact, it’s fair to say that Goya was fairly obsessed with witches, which feature heavily in his art.

While this is true, Goya was not a believer in magic. In fact, Goya was a skeptic when it came to anything supernatural. He believed firmly in the logic and reason of the Enlightenment age, a frequent theme in his art. So, why was he so interested in witchcraft?

For Goya, witches functioned as a symbol in his art. In his paintings, they represent the backwards social customs and superstition that plagued Spain at the time. Goya believed that Spain was being held back by a dogmatic adherence to medieval beliefs and superstition, which he subtly mocks in his witch paintings. The inclusion of witches in his art can also be read as a criticism of the Spanish Inquisition, which continued to seek and punish witches well into the seventeenth century. The overall theme of these witch paintings is the struggle between the ultra-religious, royalist state and the newfound trend toward liberalism and secularization. All of this was quite subversive for the eighteenth century, especially when you consider the fact that Goya was a court painter.

This particular painting, entitled Witches' Flight, was one of a series of five witchcraft paintings that Goya created for the Duke and Duchess of Osuna. The family were firm supporters of the Enlightenment and were frequent patrons of Goya.

Witches' Flight portrays three flying witches in conical hats holding a fourth figure in the air; this man writhes in pain, a victim of some strange magical ritual. Below the figures in the air, another man flees from the scene with a cloth over his head. According to my research, this figure is warding off the evil eye, a means of repulsing evil. The scene is reminiscent of the witchcraft prints in Goya’s Caprichos series, which depict a variety of bizarre magical rituals.

On the right hand side of the canvas, a donkey sits in the shadows, looking on. Goya often included donkeys in his prints, using them as a symbol of ridiculousness, folly, and ignorance. Here, the donkey is being used to indicate the folly of believing in and fearing witchcraft. The cloth over the man’s head symbolizes his blindness and superstition. 

The entire piece has the feeling of a bizarre magical allegory, in the best possible sense.

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.