Jack Levine

Witches' Sabbath

Using figuration and dark humor in a unique combination of social realism and expressionism, Witches’ Sabbath evokes metaphors for greed and corruption by political forces in the early 1960s. The Cold War brought about anti-communist sentiments in the U.S. government, represented by figures such as a police officer, a businessman, and a politician gathered around a table. Surrounding them are apparitions of Klan members, pigeons, a billy goat, and a United States flag. Distortions in the faces and bodies of the figures suggest a midnight gathering akin to depictions of medieval witches. Loaded with satirical symbolism, the composition is a direct indictment of Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House of Un-American Activities Committee.