The Fall of the Damned

The Fall of the Damned, alternately known as The Fall of the Rebel Angels,[1] is a monumental c. 1620 religious painting by Peter Paul Rubens. It features a jumble of the bodies of the damned, hurled into the abyss by archangel Michael and accompanying angels.[2]

For other paintings with this title, see Fall of the Damned (disambiguation) and The Fall of the Rebel Angels (disambiguation).
The Fall of the Damned
ArtistPeter Paul Rubens
Yearca. 1620
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions286.0 cm × 224.0 cm (112.60 in × 88.19 in)
LocationAlte Pinakothek, Munich

In 1959, an art vandal threw acid on the painting. According to him, he did not directly destroy the work, but the acid "relieves one from the work of destruction".[3]

Sketch
Study for The Fall of the Damned, c.1614–1618

The sketch of The Fall of the Damned was made in black and red chalks, with a grey wash and is kept in the British Museum. It is assumed to be the work of a studio assistant, which Rubens then went over with a brush and oil colour.[4] The dramatic chiaroscuro of the human forms and clouds emphasizes the darkness into which these figures fall, far from the heavenly light above.

References
  1. "Fall Of The Rebel Angels". Peterpaulrubens.org. Retrieved 2010-11-17.
  2. Sophie Perryer, 10 years 100 artists, Struik, 2004
  3. "Destructivism". Heyoka Magazine. Archived from the original on 2010-09-06. Retrieved 2010-11-17.
  4. "Peter Paul Rubens, drawing for The Fall of the Damned". British Museum. Retrieved 2010-11-17.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.