Witches' Sabbath or the Great He-Goat by Francisco Goya (Interpretation and Analysis)

Witches' Sabbath or the Great He-Goat
Source: Museo del Prado

Spanish art Francisco Goya is one of my favorite painters. Throughout his long career, Goya produced hundreds of highly original paintings and prints. His work is often disturbing and frightening, but it is always imaginative and fascinating. Modern art historians usually regard Goya’s work to be ahead of its time; his art would not be amiss in an exhibition of Modernist or Surrealist paintings. 

I had the privilege of seeing one of Goya’s most haunting masterpieces, Witches' Sabbath (also called The Great He-Goat), in person when I visited the Prado Museum for the first time in 2012. It’s a massive painting that has a huge visual impact when you see it in person. It also made my skin crawl a little bit; I found it to be a highly creepy painting.

The Great He-Goat is one of Goya’s “Black Paintings,” a group of fourteen images that he created while living in a house called Quinta del Sordo (which translates to the Villa of the Deaf). Wracked by mental and physical illness, Goya painted a series of horrific and sinister scenes on the walls. The Great He-Goat was one of these pieces. Later art historians have struggled to interpret the Black Paintings, but they generally agree that the paintings reflect the failings of humankind and Goya’s deep disappointment in the world and everything it represents.

In particular, most art historians interpret The Great He-Goat to be a condemnation of superstition and the witch trials of the Spanish Inquisition. As the Prado Museum explains, “Goya used the world of witches to denounce the degradation of humankind.”

The piece depicts a giant, anthropomorphized goat sitting in front of a group of male and female witches, all bearing wild and animalistic expressions on their faces. To the right, a young woman sits on her own, perhaps waiting to be initiated into the coven. Satan is traditionally represented as a goat, making him the leader of this gruesome coven.

The witches in this painting are executed in shades of black and brown with loose, flowing brush strokes. There are few background details to set the scene, making the scene even more eerie and unsettling. While all of the Black Paintings are disturbing, The Great He-Goat is certainly one of the most mysterious and imposing of the group, making it the perfect creepy masterpieces to showcase as we wrap up the month of October.

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.