Luca Giordano, The Fall of the Rebel Angels, 1660-66
Chapter 12 in the Book of Revelations tells of a war in heaven between the archangel and the devil (in dragon form): “And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him.” The archangel is not named here, but it is assumed to be Michael, and his victory heralds the Second Coming of Christ.⠀ This painting is broken in to two halves; the upper half having a lighter, more colourful feel to it due to the Venetian influence on Giordano, while the lower half has demons that scream out and writhe in pain, and a darker, heavier, Italian Baroque influence.