ART | ART HISTORY | CREATIVITY | PHILOSOPHY | RELIGION
A Tear From a Fallen Angel; A Smile From a Suspended Satyr
A Final Art History article to end the year
I have been saving this painting for some time now because I was unsure what to do with it.
The tear of a fallen angel
This is a painting of Lucifer after his fall from God’s grace. As a proper name found in the Latin Vulgate, Lucifer means “Light Bringer.” When not a proper name, its meaning shifts to “morning star” (because if its association with the planet Venus) or “shining one.”
Alexandre Cabanel was a French romantic painter in the academic tradition. He did not like the new movement called Impressionism and stood in the way of their ability to display their work in the Paris Salon. This resulted in famous impressionists such as Édouard Manet deciding to display their work in The Salon des Refusés (The Exhibition of Rejects) in 1863.
Hmm…Artists who are cast out, rejected and refused? Angels who are cast out, rejected and refused? Makes me wonder.
Every aspect of The Fallen Angel seem to be saying tearfully, “I will show you. You’re not the boss of me.” The pose of the body’s beautifully modeled muscles and…
