Projet d'illustration pour Macbeth - les sorcières 

Luc-Olivier Merson conceived this watercolor as an illustration for Shakespeare's Macbeth. The swirling, spectral figures of the witches dominate the scene, their forms barely contained within the tempestuous landscape, while Macbeth cowers, almost prostrate, at the bottom of the scene. The symbol of the witch, as seen here, has slithered and shape-shifted through centuries. From the ancient goddesses of fate and prophecy to the demonized figures of the medieval witch hunts, the image of the witch taps into primal fears of the unknown. Consider, for instance, the Fates of classical mythology, weaving the threads of destiny. Their power, like that of Macbeth’s witches, lies in their ability to see and shape the future. Yet, the witches in Merson’s watercolor are far removed from these classical forebears. They are gnarled and grotesque, reflecting the shift in perception during the early modern period. This transformation is more than mere artistic license; it reflects a deep-seated cultural anxiety, a collective memory of fear that continues to haunt our imagination. The recurrence of the witch motif through time reveals not only the enduring power of symbols but also the cyclical nature of human anxieties.