Heller Altarpiece (detail) 1511

This panel, a section of the Heller Altarpiece, was painted by Matthias Grünewald. Grünewald was working in a time of immense religious and social upheaval brought on by the Reformation. Here, he depicts Saint Cyriacus exorcising the demon from Artemia, the daughter of Emperor Diocletian. A complex choreography of power unfolds. Cyriacus, a figure of divine authority, confronts the demonic presence embodied in a young woman. It's a moment of high drama, but also one steeped in the period's anxieties about faith, the body, and the perceived vulnerability of women to demonic influence. The starkness of the scene, the way Grünewald captures the struggle and Artemia’s possession, reflects a world on the brink of transformation. It speaks volumes about the artist's attempt to reconcile faith with a society grappling with change.