The Fall of Lucifer
1840. Oil on canvas.Not on display
Lucifer was one of God´s favorite angels. He was expulsed from Heaven when he rebelled against His power. To represent the subject, Esquivel chose the moment when, with a stern expression, Saint Michael separates him from Celestial Glory. The subject is comparable to Saint Michael´s fight with the dragon of sin, which was frequently depicted by innumerable artists. Nevertheless, Esquivel eschews the customary image of the saint with helmet and sword, concentrating instead on both figures´ expressions, one stern, the other, hateful. This painting was approached with an esthetic eclecticism that mixes the Spanish pictorial tradition, as embodied by Murillo, with the purism of Madrid´s court painting from that period, which was greatly influenced by the work of Ingres. This work was painted for the Liceo of Madrid as thanks for the support its members gave the artist when he accidentally went blind. At the time, it was warmly received by the critics, who praised its most notable characteristics: correct coloring, accurate rendering of the figures, and perfect composition.
