r/ImaginaryHorrors • u/LouisBraquet • 2h ago
Original Content Putrefactio, acrylic on canvas, by Louis Braquet [OC]
In alchemy, putrefaction (or putrefactio) is the crucial stage of decomposition and rotting where old forms break down. Represented by the blackening or nigredo stage, this process reduces materials to a uniform black mass. It is the essential death of the old before spiritual or physical rebirth.