Artwork
Hunger, Madness, Crime (or Famine, Madness, Crime)
Hunger, Madness, Crime (or Famine, Madness, Crime) is an oil painting by the French Romanticist artist Antoine Wiertz. It dates from 1853 and is held in the collection of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. Hunger, Madness, Crime is a 1853 oil painting by Antoine Joseph Wiertz, a Belgian artist known for his dramatic and intense works.
About this work
Overview
Hunger, Madness, Crime is a 1853 oil painting by Antoine Joseph Wiertz, a Belgian artist known for his dramatic and intense works. The painting is part of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium collection.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a desperate woman surrounded by objects, with a knife in her hand and a gaunt face. A pot to her right contains a human foot, and a newspaper lies on the floor, suggesting a connection between poverty, madness, and crime.
Technique & Style
Wiertz's style, influenced by Rubens and Michelangelo, is characterized by dramatic intensity and macabre imagery, anticipating Belgian symbolism and aligning with French Romanticism.
Context
The work reflects the artist's thematic preoccupations and stylistic tendencies, which were shaped by his artistic influences and the cultural context of his time.
Artist & collection
Artist
Antoine Joseph Wiertz (22 February 1806 – 18 June 1865) was a Belgian painter, sculptor, lithographer and art writer.
Museum
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
Continue through works from the same source collection.
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Old Woman eating Porridge by a Spinning Wheel
El ogro
Kitchen interior with the parable of the great supper (Luke 14:12-24)
A Rich Lady Visits a Poor Family
A Witches' Kitchen
Peasant interior
Kitchen Scene
A monkey feast or The King drinks
Sense of Smell
Christ in the House of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus
The Egg Dance