So I’ve Been In Rome The Last Few Days …

Theodoros Angelopoulos: ‘Landscape in the Mist’ (1988)

Monumental Relief with the Nine Muses Italian, Rome, 16th century

Marble. 105 by 220cm., 41½ by 86½in.

Satan as the Fallen Angel

Painted by Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) in red, white, and black chalk, this creation of phenomenal artistic mastery is a part of a larger group of art pieces. The full collection consists of six different paintings depicting scenes and characters from Milton's Paradise Lost. One is currently at the Royal Academy of Arts, one at Louvre, one in Private Collection, and two are lost.

Satan in this depiction stands in his full humanised glory - imagery typical of the late 18th century Romanticism when the fallen angel lost his beastly, animalistic appearance in art. His features here remind one more of David or Apollo Belvedere in his majestic, heavenly beauty caught right before the fall.

You want to fall on your knees.

You want to scream and beg about everything, that's wrong. Everything that's right and still wrong. What you should be. What you want to be. How your whole body hurts and the pain seems to go beyond. How it makes the whole world hurt. You plead for death or life or anything but this. You are chocking on your words as you realize... This is not how it works.

And your deity takes your hand. They hold you tight as they say

Do not kneel.

I walk with you. Help you. Teach you all I can. I care for you. But do not kneel in front of me and plead.

You have to stand so I can walk with you.

How popular is traditional art here? Especially if you can’t take good pictures? 😭

He’s also very shiny! (And the silver is a hint to Artemis)

Matthias Stom  (1600 – 1652)

The Incredulity of Saint Thomas (detail) 1640–1649

“At last I have found my calling! My calling is love!”

— St. Therese of Lisieux (via sahumerios)

2500 years old statue of Aphrodite

just heard the news about the Pope.

Eternal Rest grant unto him O Lord, and may Your Perpetual Light shine upon him.

God allowed him one more Easter with the people before calling him home to the Risen Lord ❤️‍🩹

In the vast smoothness of my brain, I just realized that I forgot to cross-post this commission of Persephone.