Demons Armed with Sticks (detail from the Isenheim Altarpiece) 1516

This nightmarish scene, painted by Matthias Grünewald, is a section of the Isenheim Altarpiece. Created in the early 16th century, it was originally housed in a monastery hospital, specifically one that treated patients with skin diseases such as ergotism and syphilis. The altarpiece was made during a time of immense social upheaval, shaped by religious conflict and widespread disease. Grünewald's vivid and grotesque depiction of demons armed with sticks reflects the era's anxieties and the very real suffering experienced by those afflicted with devastating illnesses. But these demons can also be seen as an allegory for the way the church viewed those with physical and mental illnesses at the time. These depictions may have provided a visual outlet for their fears and prejudices. The raw emotional power of the image is a visceral reminder of the vulnerability of the human body, and the psychological toll of living in a world beset by plagues.