Demon (seated) Mikhail Vrubel (1856-1910)

Description of Mikhail Vrubel’s sitting Demon

All of M. Vrubel’s paintings are created in a mysterious and fabulous atmosphere. Especially his Demons...

In 1891 M. Vrubel painted 30 illustrations for the new anniversary edition of the works of the Russian poet M.Y. Lermontov. Most of the illustrations are devoted to Lermontov’s poem "Demon". The first sketch called "Demon sitting" was drawn in 1890 and is kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery, where the original is kept. And the painting itself was painted in Moscow in the house of S. Mamontov.

The subject of this painting was created by Vrubel after he read Lermontov’s "The Demon." After he painted this picture, the artist wrote the following words about his work: "The Demon is not so much a malignant spirit as a suffering and mournful, but at the same time imperious and majestic.

At all times the demon represented the image of the strength of the human spirit, its inner struggle and doubts. The picture of the demon represents a sitting sad demon who tragically clasped his hands together. His eyes are very sad, they look into the distance, they are surrounded by invisible flowers. The demon sits alone in the middle of the mountains, a scarlet sunset enveloping him. Looking at this painting, one gets the feeling that the artist has captured one of his Demons and put it in a frame.

The painting is painted in an individual style characteristic of this artist, with crystal facet effects, so this painting looks more like a panel or stained glass window. This effect the artist was able to achieve through the use of flat brushstrokes.

"The sitting Demon" is the most famous of Vrubel’s Demons. In 1899 he painted Demon Flying, in which he depicted the Demon as the ruler of the world. And from 1901 to 1902 M. Vrubel was finishing his last work - "The Demon defeated", in which the Demon was on the verge of death.

Could it be that the Demons depicted by the artist took the life of Vrubel himself? This is only a guess, but if you look at these paintings carefully, you will realize that they are the most mysterious in the whole world.