The Fall of the Damned
Painting by Peter Paul Rubens
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The Fall of the Damned, alternately known as The Fall of the Rebel Angels,[1] is a monumental religious painting by Peter Paul Rubens dated around 1620. It depicts a jumble of the bodies of the damned, hurled into the abyss by archangel Michael and accompanying angels.[2]
| The Fall of the Damned | |
|---|---|
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| Artist | Peter Paul Rubens |
| Year | c. 1621 |
| Medium | Oil on panel |
| Dimensions | 286.0 cm × 224.0 cm (112.60 in × 88.19 in) |
| Location | |
In 1959, an art vandal threw acid on the painting. He said he did not directly destroy the work, as the acid "relieves one from the work of destruction."[3]
Sketch
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.