Lucifer painting, devil painting, and Satan painting have always been famous amongst contemporary artists. There?s no doubt that humanity has always been intrigued by the idea of Hell- how there is a dark underworld beyond our comprehension! Artists, in particular, have used this as an inspiration. Paintings of Hell-
Artists from the past have come up with startling depictions of Hell in their artworks ? curiosity often gets the best of us and makes us wonder what would?ve motivated these artists to paint this? So let?s enlighten ourselves with some of these artworks and their motivation.
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Hell by Hieronymus Bosch
One of the oldest devil artworks with stunning imagery is Hell by Hieronymus Bosch. Bosch, a Dutch painter, was very religious and dedicated to subjects close to religion.
Painted in 1490, Hell was a part of the four-painting series showing humankind going to heaven and falling into Hell. The painting is meant to remind viewers of Christian teachings once again but in a very dark way.
Hell can easily be the few Early Renaissance paintings that had the darkest topics. One can notice in the painting how there is a demonic entity sitting on the peak, while the damned souls around him are on the bottom, with their limbs getting gnawed on by the demons.??
Pandemonium by John Martin
Pandemonium, or Paradise Lost, is one of the most stunning yet terrifying depictions of the underworld. John Martin painted this work of art in 1841 with a concept over the capital of Hell, or ?The High Capital of Satan and His Peers.?
This work indeed represented the book Paradise Lost, infamously written by John Milton. According to Milton, the capital of Hell was constructed in less than an hour, and humanity could never fathom its process.
The painting shows the raging lava river surrounding the tall palace, with one figure standing on the edge of that river. Inside the castle were all the demons, the spawns of Satan waiting for their leader to command.
Satan Calling Up His Legions by William Blake
William Blake, an English painter, created art during the 18th and 19th centuries. Most of his paintings were close to the concept of religion. He was pretty fascinated by the topic ? which was very unexpected because most of the other artists from this time were focused on different subjects.
Painted in 1805, Satan Calling Up His Legions is one of the most striking paintings over Hell. Even getting its replica paintings is relevant.
Blake also used the same concept as John Martin, incorporating ideas from Paradise Lost in his artwork. In this painting, the artist demonstrates Satan, the leader of all damned souls, as he calls over to his forces ? tucked deep in the plethora of hellish brushstrokes and color combinations.
Dante and Virgil in Hell by William-Adolphe Bouguereau
All props go to William-Adolphe Bouguereau for concluding this masterpiece in 1850, based on the scenes from Dante Alighieri?s book, The Divine Comedy. In this painting, William wanted to combine boldness and darkness with drama to portray the eighth circle of Hell.
The scene shows two central figures, Gianni Schicchi and Capocchio, engaged in a violent battle. William was quite familiar with anatomy as he studied corpse dissection, and he showed his knowledge by portraying the nude figures in this painting.
On the left, Dante and Virgilio are shown with a man in front of them as he lays down in pain. Even the background is very detailed and dark with images of piled-up nude people ? while in the sky, you can see the demon as he lurks on the scene.
Inferno by Franz von Stuck
Closely associated with Inferno by Dante, Franz von Stuck?s Inferno was painted in 1908 over the subject of Hell and what it holds for the damned souls. In the painting, there are five figures in the deepest pit of Hell as they suffer the consequences of their fate.
The hellish scene is exceptionally dark, carrying similar inspirations that could be seen in the other artworks of Franz von Stuck. All of these other paintings have also been infamous for the same dark topics and toe-curling meanings.
The demonstration of Hell shows the terrifying creatures present in the underworld like the snake ? which can be seen clinging onto the woman. The brushstrokes are excellent and vibrant, giving the painting a more significant depth and outlook.
Dante and Virgil in the Underworld by Filippo Napoletano
This artwork by Filippo Napoletano portrays a scene from Hell where all the troubled souls are trying to escape the agony, pain, and torment. Concluded in 1622, Dante and Virgil in the Underworld show a horrifying image of creatures on the ground as the escaping souls fall in the pit ? (astrajewellery.com) having nowhere else to go.
Conclusion
For centuries, the artists have changed their way of painting Hell while combining Lucifer, demons, and angels. The artists from Renaissance painted infamous pictures of unknowable horror and terror through the help of Biblical references.
All the horror fanatics reading this must be a dream to own demon art and hell paintings. You can always look for these paintings online on platforms such as 1st Art Gallery ? you can even find multiple options over the genre!
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