I have always been a fan of Escher's works, but my favorite is a lesser-known one: The Scapegoat. It is a reference to the ancient Jewish tradition of sacrificing two goats, one to god by slaughtering it, and sending the other to 'Azazel' in the desert, which carried the sins of the people, bringing the term "scapegoat" to modern etymology. The painting is simple, only in black and white, but the symbolism is powerful, both God and the Devil face a goat opposite them, reflecting the good or the bad. The two colors reflect the simple duality at the heart of the Christian notion, the Good vs. Evil idea. The goats themselves are the same image, only a different color: white being "good" and black "evil." Thus, since both God and the Devil are linked with their respective goat, yet each goat is the almost the same as the other, it again reflects the dualistic nature of good and eveil, one can't exist without the other.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
MC Escher's The Scapegoat
I have always been a fan of Escher's works, but my favorite is a lesser-known one: The Scapegoat. It is a reference to the ancient Jewish tradition of sacrificing two goats, one to god by slaughtering it, and sending the other to 'Azazel' in the desert, which carried the sins of the people, bringing the term "scapegoat" to modern etymology. The painting is simple, only in black and white, but the symbolism is powerful, both God and the Devil face a goat opposite them, reflecting the good or the bad. The two colors reflect the simple duality at the heart of the Christian notion, the Good vs. Evil idea. The goats themselves are the same image, only a different color: white being "good" and black "evil." Thus, since both God and the Devil are linked with their respective goat, yet each goat is the almost the same as the other, it again reflects the dualistic nature of good and eveil, one can't exist without the other.
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