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Alexandre Cabanel - Fallen Angel

The Devil said to Dante: If you really knew God, you would betray him too... We will talk about "Fallen Angel" by French artist Alexandre Cabanel, which introduces us to the devil inside us, reminds us of our broken hearts and makes us think more deeply. In the minds of many of us, "Why did he describe Devil like that?" , "Why did he believe that there was a bond between Devil and me?" want to ask questions like.

 Cabanel put a strong imagination in the foreground and also helped us to empathize with Devil and presented it to us with a perfect visual. For these reasons, The Fallen Angel was one of the most memorable works in the history of art. Cabanel's inspiration for this work was John Milton's epic poem "Lost Paradise" and fallen angels Moloch, Belial, Mulciber, Mammon and Beelzebub.

 People open their eyes to the world with different emotions. Happiness, sorrow, disappointment ... It has never been easy to talk about our feelings. Sometimes we can't find the words or sentences to express, and sometimes we are reluctant to express our feelings. Sometimes we can't even admit our feelings to ourselves. Although people's feelings are not always good, no one wants to talk about bad feelings. Hate, envy, arrogance... Is a person born with these feelings or is it something gained later? We all have good feelings as well as bad ones. We all face someone's betrayal, we betray someone, our hearts are broken, our hearts are broken, or we find a place for ourselves in the infinite depths of sin.

 In this work, Alexandro Cabanel takes us to the devil inside us, to the times when we are broken-hearted and angry.

 The main character of Cabanel's work is Lucifer. Lucifer means "giver of light." In fact, instead of the ugly, savage devil we know, he represents that beauty and elegance, and the artist has tried to show it to people in his work.

 The artist revived the image of the devil in his work based on the devil mentioned in the texts of the Torah. The part about the devil in the Torah:

 “You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every kind of precious stone adorned you:a ruby, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald. Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold, prepared on the day of your creation. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for I had ordained you. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked among the fiery stones.

  From the day you were created you were blameless in your ways- until wickedness was found in you. By the vastness of your trade, you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mountain of God, and I banished you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart grew proud of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor; so I cast you to the earth; I made you a spectacle before kings.

By the multitude of your iniquities and the dishonesty of your trading you have profaned your sanctuaries. So I made fire come from within you, and it consumed you. I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the eyes of all who saw you. All the nations who know you are appalled over you. You have come to a horrible end and will be no more.”

 The devil described here was defeated by his arrogance and expelled from paradise.

 If you look carefully at the image of the work, you can see the anger in his eyes. It is like the anger of a disappointed person. At this point, it is easier to empathize with the image. We have all experienced such events, and these feelings are not new to us.

Pay attention to the tears in their eyes. Those tears are not pure at all. It burns with great anger to get revenge inside. It also reminds us of our arrogance, anger and betrayal.

 In fact, there is another reason why Alexandre Cabanel created a work with so many emotions in the foreground. The reason was a reaction to the emotionless works of that century.

 Cabanel, who was criticized by the masses for his chosen subject and was expelled from the academy, was no different from Devil, who was expelled from heaven.

 Thanks to the artist's strong imagination and ability, it is impossible not to be amazed when looking at the work.

 Cabanel, who has been widely criticized since the day it was exhibited, also expressed his feelings. If he hadn't reflected his feelings in this way, we probably wouldn't have had a chance to see such a magnificent work.