I do love this painting by Alexandre Cabanel, “The Fallen Angel”, based on Milton’s poem “Paradise Lost”.
Alexandre Cabanel was 24 years old when he painted L'Ange Dechu (The Fallen Angel) in 1847.
The shielding of his facial expression doesn’t hide his feelings. It is at the same time poetical and tragic, fallen from grace and banished by God.
But what holds me the most are the eyes, full of vengeance and anger.
This handsome fallen devil is a tragic and sublime representation of beauty, we could love him and pity him. The sculptural body sporting a six-pack is simply divine, the archetype of ancient beauty (nevertheless fallen from heaven, condemn to disgrace…)
“Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss” John Milton, Paradise Lost
