The Fallen Angel

A beautiful and well-proportioned nude youth, reminiscent of a Greek sculpture, lies on a rocky outcrop, fixing the viewer with a piercing gaze. Behind his tightly crossed arms, which seem to conceal his face, a single, large tear is about to fall from his eye.

His true identity is Lucifer (Satan), the fallen angel who has just rebelled against God and been cast out of heaven. In stark contrast to the angels dancing joyfully in the bright sky behind him, the world into which he has fallen is enveloped in dark, somber shadows.

In fact, at the time this painting was created, choosing "the devil" as a subject for a painting was highly unusual in the conservative French art world, and it greatly shocked the judges who saw the work. The artist, Cabanel, was a mere 24 years old at the time. He painted this ambitious work in Italy, where he was staying after winning the prestigious Prix de Rome, a gateway for elite artists, drawing inspiration from John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost.