Study for "Le Stryge" c. 1893

Joseph Pennell created this study for "Le Stryge" with ink on paper, capturing the brooding figure of a gargoyle overlooking the Parisian cityscape. This grotesque figure, perched high above, embodies a tradition stretching back to antiquity, where such creatures were thought to ward off evil. But consider how the image of the gargoyle has transformed. Initially a guardian, it evolved through the medieval period into a symbol of the monstrous and the demonic. The gargoyle becomes a mirror reflecting our innermost fears and anxieties. Pennell's gargoyle, with its melancholic pose, echoes the "melancholia" of Albrecht Dürer, suggesting a deep, perhaps existential, contemplation. This representation taps into a primal part of our psyche. Its presence reminds us of humanity’s enduring fascination with the grotesque, reflecting fears and anxieties in visual form. The cyclical nature of symbols is evident here. These figures resurface, adapt, and continue to hold power over our imaginations.