“The Casting of the Rebel Angels into Hell,” created by William Blake in 1808, is rendered in watercolor and falls under the Symbolism art movement. Serving as an illustration from his series “Illustrations to John Milton – Paradise Lost,” this artwork belongs to the genre of illustration.
The artwork vividly depicts a celestial scene where angelic beings, portrayed with an ethereal grace, cast out the rebellious angels into a fiery abyss below. The central figure, embodying divine authority, commands attention with a poised descent, flanked by angels who observe the unfolding judgment. In contrast, the rebel angels, rendered in dynamic twists and contorted forms, spiral downward engulfed in flames, evidencing their fall from grace. The use of delicate watercolor technique enhances the otherworldly and dramatic narrative, characteristic of Blake’s symbolic and illustrative approach.
