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Jan 1, 1320
Inferno by Dante Alighieri
The beginning of a larger work called The Divine Comdey, The Inferno is an allegorical poem describing the nine circles of hell. Dante tours hell and witnesses souls in various stages of punishment for their sins and transgressions. The Roman poet Virgil serves as Dante's tour guide as the poet weaves his message of the recognition and rejection of sin. -
Jan 1, 1400
Sedlec Ossuary
After earth purportedly from Golgotha was spread over a small abbey cemetery it became a popular burial site. Not wanting to turn away pilgrims, the abbey constructed a chapel on the site to store the bones. In 1870 the bones had become so numerous that a carpenter was hired to organize them. The result was a series of macabre decorations and furnishings made from human bone. -
Jan 1, 1512
The Temptation of St. Anthony by Matthias Grunewald
Completed from 1512-1516, Grunewald's Temptationof St. Anthony is one of many classic pieces depicting St. Anthony's struggles to turn away from wordly affairs and live the life of a hermit. Grunewald's piece is of the darker images that effectively Completed from 1512-1516, Grunewald's Temptation of St. Anthony is one of many classic pieces depicting St. Anthony's struggles to turn away from worldly affairs and live the life of a hermit. Grunewald's piece is one of the darker interpretations -
Medusa by Michelangelo Merisi (or Amerighi) da Caravaggio
Medusa by Caravaggio depicts the famous Greek gorgon after she has met her fate at the hands of the hero Perseus. -
The Nightmare by Henry Fuseli
The Nightmare is Fuseli’s interpretation of the succubus/incubus myth, known in modern times as "old hag syndrome". This syndrome has been documented numerous times and is by a sleeper waking before their brain stops secreting chemicals that prevent neural messages from traveling to the muscles. Sufferers report feeing a dark presence in their room, an inability to breathe, and being immobilized. -
Witches Sabbath by Francisco Goya
One of Goya's so called "black" paintings; Witches Sabbath was painted as a mural in Goya's private home. The piece was not made public until after his death for fear of reprisals from the church. -
The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed in Sun by William Blake
Commissioned as an illustration for a never completed illustrated bible, The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed in Sun was meant for the book of Revelation to illustrate the great red dragon mentioned several times in the text. Painted between 1805-1810. -
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, by Mary Shelley
Drawing on cutting edge science of the day, Shelley's Frankenstein is one of the first pieces of literature to display man's ability to harness scientific laws and wield them in god-like ways. The book serves as a warning of the dangers of progress and asks "how far is too far?" when it comes to scientific exploration. A question that is still being asked today. -
The Ghost of a Flea by William Blake
Blake believed he saw the flea in a vision (he often claimed that his work was inspired by visions). The figure carries a knife for bloodletting and a bowl to catch the spillage. Blake claimed the flea spoke to him, telling him that fleas were inhabited by the ghosts of men that were bloodthirsty by nature. -
Saturn Devouring His Son by Francisco Goya
One of Goya's "black paintings", Saturn Devouring His Son illustrates the Greek legend of the titan, Saturn, who devoured his children out of fear that they would grow to overthrow him. His fears were borne out when his son Zeus killed him and cut his siblings from Saturn's stomach, thus populating Mount Olympus. Painted between 1819-1823 as a mural in Goya's home, the piece was not revealed until after his death. -
Berenice by Edgar Allan Poe
One of Poe's lesser known works, Berenice shocked readers of the day with its violence and the publisher received a flood of complaints. Later self-edited, the short story contains themes seen frequently in Poe's work, including the death of a beautiful woman, premature burial, and mental illness. It also includes an odd obsession with teeth. -
In the Hall of the Mountain King composed by Edvard Grieg
Written for the play Peer Gynt, In the Hall of the Mountain King is a haunting piece that receives frequent play during Halloween, as well as in many movies and commercials. In the play, the piece is played as the main character, Peer Gynt, enters the underground kingdom of the troll king and meets with the fantastical creatures found there. Listen -
Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky
Conceived and composed as a score for a witches' Sabbath, Night on Bald Mountain is a chilling concert piece. Perhaps best known currently as part of the Disney movie Fantasia, the piece was never performed during Mussorgsky's lifetime. Listen -
Jack the Ripper crime scene photographs by officers of the Whitechapel Police Department
Crime scene photos from the Jack the Ripper murder investigation were some of the first photographs ever produced for police work. They were passed around for years amongst law enforcement/researchers before they began to be published in the 1960's. Though not the first serial killer case, the Ripper murders were so well documented that they have become an enduring mystery, thanks in large part to the photos.. -
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Defining the vampire's modern form, Count Dracula was introduced to the world at the end of the 19th century. The dark tale of an undying evil has spawned countless books, movies, and television shows and continues to inspire horror in new readers. -
Ennis House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
Designed for retail magnate Charles Ennis by Wright in 1924, Ennis House was built using a textile block pattern inspired by Mayan architecture. The result is a cold, intimidating home that has been used in several movies, such as Blade Runner and The House on Haunted Hill, to inspire a sense unease and otherworldliness. -
Untitled Dust Bowl Photograph by Dorothea Lange
Like many of her pieces, this picture displays once fertile farmland that has turned into a moon like landscape of blowing dust, dotted with broken equipment and dilapidated buildings. Like many of Lange’s pictures, this photograph represents the shattered dreams and lives of the farm families who once lived here. -
Bird Girl by Sylvia Shaw Judson (sculpture) and Jack Leigh (photograph)
Created in 1936, Bird Girl remained anonymous until Leigh's photograph of her was used as the cover for the novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which became a best seller and spawned a movie. Since that time, Bird Girl has become synonymous with a Southern Gothic, voodoo style inspired aesthetic. -
Big Electric Chair by Andy Warhol
Although famous for lighter fare, Big Electric Chair is Warhol's reminder of the barbarism in modern society. Warhol began using the image of an electric chair in 1963, the same year as the last two executions in the state of New York. -
Kent State Photo by John Filo
Famous photo of the aftermath of the Kent State Massacre during the Vietnam era. Photo became synonymous with the unease of a society that seemed to be tearing itself apart. Questions still remain as to why the National Guardsmen fired on the students, sending 67 bullets into the crowd, killing 4 and wounding 9.
