Artists' portrayal of the tragedies they observed has shifted dramatically over time, but the artists’ aim to depict the spirit of an epidemic has stayed consistent.
Artists developed these artworks to demonstrate how they might withstand and resist the diseases that were happening around them, restoring a feeling of agency.
The Medieval Bubonic Plague is caused by Yersinia pestis, a bacterium. Bubonic plague is spread from one host to the next by fleas infected with the virus from other diseased hosts.
The entire history of Renaissance and Baroque periods in art takes place in the era of plagues. From 1347 through the late 17th century, pestilence gripped much of Europe.