Satan Defying the Powers of Heaven
1794
chalk
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1794
chalk
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Satan Defying the Powers of Heaven is a 1794 chalk by Henry Fuseli, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
A muscular man is stretched out mid-air, arms raised as if pushing against something invisible. His body twists awkwardly, one leg bent sharply while the other stretches long. The background is a smudgy, dark sky with a few jagged shapes that look like clouds or maybe broken rocks. The drawing uses mostly gray and brown tones, with quick, sketchy lines that feel urgent. The artist left parts of the figure half-finished, like the face and hands, giving it a raw, unfinished look. This style makes the scene feel dramatic and intense, almost like a nightmare. Check out Romanticism to see how this painting fits into a bigger artistic movement.
![Los and His Spectre [verso]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/615ad7f82d334e5f/thumb.webp)
