Faust and Mephistopheles in the Harz Mountains 1828

Eugène Delacroix created this lithograph, “Faust and Mephistopheles in the Harz Mountains” where we see the characters from Goethe's play amidst a dramatic landscape. Note Faust’s gesture – arms outstretched as if warding off a threat, or perhaps in ecstatic surrender to the sublime forces of nature. This gesture echoes across centuries, from ancient depictions of orants in early Christian art to the figures in Romantic paintings grappling with the immensity of the natural world. Consider the serpent coiled around the tree: an ancient symbol, present in the Garden of Eden, and here, perhaps symbolizing temptation or hidden knowledge. The serpent is not merely a visual element, but a loaded signifier, continually reappearing throughout art history, each time charged with new cultural and psychological weight. It is a testament to our enduring fascination with primal fears and desires, and how these archetypes continue to manifest in the visual arts.