The murderer by Franz von Stuck

This powerful pictorial creation is an essential masterpiece of European Symbolism and history painting from the turn of the century. Entitled “The murderer”, the work illustrates a tragic episode inspired by classical Greek mythology where guilt relentlessly pursues the guilty man. The painter Franz von Stuck orchestrates a theatrical staging of great psychological tension around divine vengeance.

On the left of the composition, three undressed women embodying the deities of vengeance stand in the darkness of a narrow passage. Their dark hair is intertwined with threatening snakes, and black reptiles also coil around their arms stretched towards the right. In the misty and damp background, a male silhouette runs to flee along a wet, paved street, casting a terrified glance behind him. The dark shades of bluish grey, black, and earthy ochre dominate the entire canvas. A cold and diffuse light illuminates the pale body of the first woman, contrasting strongly with the oppressive shadow of the narrow alley.

The artist shows truly exceptional technical virtuosity in the striking representation of the expressions of terror and anger of the protagonists. His consummate mastery of the pictorial material and lighting effects considerably reinforces the supernatural and deeply distressing atmosphere of the artwork.