{"id":21299,"date":"2024-06-26T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-26T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beculture.it\/?p=21299"},"modified":"2024-05-31T18:01:08","modified_gmt":"2024-05-31T16:01:08","slug":"devil-iconography-in-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beculture.it\/en\/devil-iconography-in-art\/","title":{"rendered":"The Devil in art: representations and symbolism through the centuries"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Devil has always assumed multiple forms in art<\/strong>, influenced by different traditions and cultural references, even among artists of the same era. The evolution of this essential figure (Evil opposing Good) is multifaceted and not always consistent.
In this article, we will analyze some of the prominent and easily recognizable traits of the Devil, concluding with a captivating and convincing interpretation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Devil as the quintessential shapeshifter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Today, we call the Devil by various names, including Satan and Lucifer. However, it’s important to remember that these names were not always interchangeable. In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, they indicated, if not entirely different creatures, at least different aspects or moments of the same entity. For example, the Devil (or Demon) and Satan designate the Lord of Hell, commanding a host of devils tormenting souls or tempting people; while Lucifer (meaning light-bringer) is God’s favored Angel, who fell after sinning. Some critics argue that this linguistic and thus iconographic confusion is why there are no depictions of the Devil before the 9th<\/sup> century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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San Michele Arcangelo<\/em>, Bernardo Zenale<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From this point on, the Devil takes on multiple forms<\/strong>: he is the dragon defeated by Michele in the Apocalisse (as seen in San Michele Arcangelo<\/em> by Bernardo Zenale at the Galleria degli Uffizi<\/a>), but also the punisher of sinners during the Giudizio Universale.
Another theme that developed between the 15th<\/sup> and 16th<\/sup> centuries is the fall of the rebel angels, peaking with San Michele che scaccia Lucifero<\/em> by Lorenzo Lotto, now at the Museo Pontificio in Loreto. Iconographically, the dragon and the fallen angel have little in common, yet they represent the same entity.
The Devil\u2019s places<\/strong>, or where the Devil is depicted are various: the Temptations of Jesus, the torments of Hell, the story of Teofilo, the Temptation of Giobbe, the Garden of Eden, the devils tempting and attacking Antonio Abate, and tempter devils in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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San Michele che scaccia Lucifero<\/em>, Lorenzo Lotto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Religious art has always served an educational and warning purpose<\/strong>, illustrating and reminding the faithful of sacred history and the consequences of their actions.
Thus, in many works representing the Devil, he appears as a monstrous, bestial being, but in various forms.
We must consider that even the figure of the Savior, like those of Maria and Pietro, undergoes iconographic changes over time: from the impassive and serene Christ on the cross with open eyes and separated feet of the 9th<\/sup> century, to the suffering Christ with feet nailed together from the 13th<\/sup> and 14th<\/sup> centuries. Beardless in the 6th<\/sup> century mosaics of Ravenna, Christ later takes on the features of a young man with long hair and a beard, as we are accustomed to seeing.
However, while this transformation is codified by the Church, the same does not happen for the Devil, whose appearance varies even within the same artwork<\/strong>. In the Libro delle ore<\/em> from the early 1415 by the Limbourg brothers (Mus\u00e9e Cond\u00e9, Chantilly), the images of Inferno<\/em> e della Caduta di Lucifero e degli Angeli ribelli<\/em> have nothing in common. Similarly, in the Giudizio Universale<\/em> by Beato Angelico (in the Museo di San Marco in Florence), the devils are represented in many ways: with or without horns, with or without a tail, with or without wings, beings more or less dark, hairy, or hairless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Giudizio universale<\/em>, Beato Angelico<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The changing characteristics of the Devil over time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even though there is <\/span>no single model for all representations of the Devil<\/span>, we can identify some sources of inspiration: Pan, the satyrs and fauns of Greek mythology on one hand, and the nudity of classical art on the other. From the former, the Devil inherits an animalistic appearance. Classical nudity, however, takes on a different meaning when associated with the diabolic figure, symbolizing sin and shame instead of the exaltation of forms: the Devil has been discovered and punished.\u00a0<\/span>Recurring attributes<\/span> include:\u25cf<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>horns, tail, ears, hooves, and a half-human, half-animal body;\u00a0\u25cf<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>claws or talons, likely derived from harpies or other creatures from Sasanian art;\u00a0\u25cf<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>hirsutism;\u00a0\u25cf<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>flaming hair, possibly of oriental origin;\u25cf<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>a pitchfork or hooked stick, typical of jailers;\u25cf<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>absence of genitalia;\u25cf<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>blackness, symbolizing corruption and filth;\u25cf<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>gaping mouth and protruding tongue;\u25cf<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>initially feathered wings, later membranous bat-like wings from the 14th century onwards.\u00a0This terrifying, grotesque being exemplifies the <\/span>aberration of civilization<\/span>, yet his appearance is mutable. Whether as a dragon or an angel cast out of heaven, he also takes on the face of Pan, even though Pan was not an evil god. As the Lord of the Underworld, he is often depicted as a fat, hairy, naked, black monster, perfectly described by Pope Leone I as a “black pit of filth.” In the 12th<\/span> and 13th<\/span> centuries, horns, hooves or claws, tail, and stick were added. He is usually depicted without wings, but when he has them, they are bat-like, and – probably in line with Dante’s description -he devours sinners while defecating.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>With the rise of the iconography of fallen angels, <\/span>Lucifer, the quintessential fallen angel, gradually sheds his bestial appearance<\/span> to become more human, even resembling San Michele, as seen in the previously mentioned work by Lotto. The theme of Lucifer and Michele extends into the Romantic era, as demonstrated by William Blake’s watercolors and engravings (depicting an almost heroic, erotic Satan) and Delacroix’s lithographs for Goethe’s <\/span>Faust<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n