Heresy and the Theatrics of Subjugation in Late Renaissance Art

• In Event: Heresy and Heterodoxy I: Visual Definitions

Abstract

Renaissance figurations of heresy in medals, printed media, and other forms often feature a struggle of opposing forces, such as truth versus falsehood. The modalities can range from political propaganda to theological elucidation. In some cases, the images speak in allegory; in other cases they are brutally literal. Heresy may appear as an allegory of vice engaged in a moral battle against virtue (redolent of the middle ages), or as an actual heretic being vanquished by an actual leader. Placing an emphasis on the context of the French Wars of Religion, this paper notes an increasing tendency toward scenes of violence and subjugation.

Author

• Nicole S. Bensoussan, Independent Scholar