My prior Art posts can be found HERE.
How do we move away from being a civilization that produces art that causes comments like, “my five year old could make this,” back to being one that creates beauty and inspires deep questions? We must reject modernity and embrace tradition. To embrace tradition, we must first learn about it.
Let’s study art history together.
Allegory of Satan (Lord of the World)
| Artist | Ludwik Stasiak |
|---|---|
| Year | c. 1900 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | height: 200 cm, width: 145 cm; with frame: height: 218 cm, lenght: 169 cm, depth: 6 cm |
| Location | The National Museum in Krakow |
This painting is as the title explains. The artist depicts Satan and the nature of his rule over the world. While it’s more than vaguely haunting, my first reaction is along the lines of “how can this be?” Satan isn’t overtly a fearful figure. His face is boyish and smiling. His wings seem almost homemade and costume-ish. And yet… perhaps that’s the mistake we all make. We don’t take the threat seriously enough until we join the skulls at his feet. Stasiak’s Satan is dressed like a king, with the trappings of power, but he’s also posturing as a jester.
There are a lot of really interesting details here, but two jump out at me the most. First, there’s an intensity in his eyes that belie the sense that he isn’t a very serious danger. Those eyes come across to me as malevolent and they are staring directly at the viewer. My eyes are also drawn to the coin in his fingers. It feels as though he’s offering it. Perhaps the exchange is intended to be for my soul?
The painting has a very modern feel and it reminds me of a DC comics character (the animated version, anyway) called “Toyman.”
In both cases, there’s an extreme danger and malevolence hidden beneath the exterior.
For a really great review of the painting, please let me direct you HERE to the video at the link. The author of the video doesn’t allow video embeds, but you can click the link there to visit.
For another great though somewhat shorter review, let me also share the video below:
