Renaissance paintings of the lives of the saints – or rather the gruesome torments and horrible deaths of the saints – are definite precursors to the imagery of modern horror movies. The topic was a kind of license for the painters to all at once let their imaginations run wild, deliver proper religious instruction, and scare the absolute bejesus out of sinners.
Here’s a great example: “The Temptation of Saint Anthony” by Matthias Grunewald, painted sometime around 1515 .
The best part is that old Anthony doesn’t look too perturbed by it all.
