Mikhail Vrubel

Mikhail Vrubel (1856-1910) died blind and insane, haunted by his muse and most famous subject: the Demon.

"The Demon Downcast" Click image for larger view

After studying art and law at St. Petersburg, Vrubel worked on the restoration of the 12th-century frescoes in the Church of Saint Cyril in Kiev. Then he moved to Moscow, where he designed theatrical sets for the businessman and cultural empresario Savva Mamontov, and decorative panels for Mamontov's house.

"The Demon Seated" Click image for larger view

It was as a painter, however, that Vrubel truly excelled.

While little-known in the West, in Russia, he is considered a major artist, one who influenced an entire generation of painters, including Kandinsky and Malevich. Millions continue to visit Moscow's Tretyakov Gallery to see his work.

Inspired by Lermontov's poem "The Demon," Vrubel's Demon series was his crowning achievement.

"Head of the Demon"	"The Demon and Tamara"
Click images for larger view

Lermontov's epic poem opens with The Demon, a fallen angel, flying among the clouds of the Caucasus sky. Soon the condemned Demon sees the beautiful princess Tamara, and, in an attempt to avoid his lonely fate, decides to seduce her. Upon finding out that she is engaged to be married, The Demon becomes torn between his love for Tamara and his own destructive nature. In a desperate but deliberate following of his heart, he wishes death upon the young man and pursues a mourning Tamara into the walls of a convent. At last, she consents to the Demon's love and in an passionate embrace, perishes in his arms. In the end, the lonely and desolate Demon tearfully watches an angel carry Tamara's soul to heaven, leaving the Demon in the lonely state from where he began.