Nimfa
Nymph

Summary/Abstract: The Nymph is associated with the choreography of desire and death which Aby Warburg described as the stylisation of energy or figures of the lushness of life. The Nymph renders struggle erotic, and reveals unconscious bonds between aggression and desire. For this reason Warburg was interested in the motif of violence, abduction, the erotic chase or the 'erotic victory' of the Nymph over her wounded opponent (Judith by Botticelli, Death of Orpheus by Mantegna or Dürer). The Nymph is an erotic force, and the battle is fierce due to the cruelty of Eros. Not only does the Nymph concentrate the strife in her body but she also becomes an amorous confrontation, a knot of desires. In doing so, she turns into a Maenadis succumbing to Dionysian frenzy.

• Details
• Contents