Mikhail Vrubel. The Demon Seated, 1890 © Tretyakov Gallery
Vik Muniz São Paulo, Brazil, b. 1961
Large size: 167 × 302 cm
Further images
"Demon' is an appropriation of Mikhail Vrubel’s painting created in 1890.
Mikhail Vrubel’s Demon series was inspired by the 19th-century poem The Demon by M. Lermontov — the story of a fallen angel, exiled from heaven and trapped in eternal loneliness and despair.
The Demon series, including works like The Demon Seated (1890) and The Demon Downcast (1902), portrayed the demon not as a symbol of evil but as a tragic figure, burdened by inner conflict and yearning for redemption. Vrubel described his demon as “a spirit uniting masculine and feminine qualities. A spirit, not so much evil as suffering and sorrowing, but nonetheless powerful... a majestic spirit.” These works were recognized by Vrubel’s contemporaries as the starting point of the Art Nouveau style.
Exhibitions
Vik Muniz. Russian Project. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow. Oct 2007–Feb 2008Vik Muniz. Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow. June–Oct 2018
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