Satan Leaving the Court
of Chaos
Table of Contents


Genre (slide 3)
Style (slide 4)
– Henry Fuseli (slides 5 and 6)









Artist (slide 7)
Subject Matter (slides 8-10)
Iconography (slides 11-18)
Political Context (slide 19)
Cultural Context (slides 20-24)
Social Context (slide 25-27)
Ownership (slide 28)
Closing (slide 27)
Bibliography (slide 30)
Genre
It is classified as a historical
painting because it’s based on a
literary scene from John Milton’s
Paradise Lost (1667).
 Romantic painting because of its
stylistic and ideological content.

Style
Satan Leaving the Court Chaos is a Romantic
style painting: a style classified by the deep
saturated tones of colors.
 There is a strong contrast between light and
dark, as can be seen between the characters in
the painting and the dark background.
 There is an emphasis on brushwork and the
subjects are drawn from literature and are
focused on intense emotion and passion.
 intensity, masculinity, defiance of rules, and
individual genius- all are ideals that apply to the
solitary, heroic form of Satan.
 Strong sense of the sublime throughout the
painting.

Henry Fuseli

(1741- 1825)
The Pre-Romantic
ideas and techniques
that appear in Satan
Leaving the Court of
Chaos appear in the
work of contemporary
artists, especially
Henri Fuseli.
– life-long fascination with
Milton
– 40 works illustrating
Milton’s poetry
– Opened a Milton Gallery
in 1799
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/09/euwc/ho_1980.411.htm
Fuseli Continued

Romantic style
–
–
–
–

Use of folk tradition
Subdued color tones
light contrast
theatrical pose
Use of the sublime
– Terror
– nightmarish depiction
– obscurity

Theatrical pose
–
Intemperance of body is
an association with
Fuseli
– increased portrayal of
extreme passion, rape of
consciousness
http://www.artstor.org/artstor/mainFrame.jsp
Artist


The artist who painted Satan Leaving the Court of Chaos
is regrettably unknown, but most likely a follower of Henry
Fuseli’s style
The common conception is that it was made circa 1800
 Possible Artists
Thomas Freeman
a follower of Henry Fuseli
exhibited a work titled Satan at the
Court of Chaos: Milton’s Paradise
Lost in 1784 at the Royal Academy
but this work, along with any other
works by Freeman, have been lost
Henry Tresham
also a follower of Fuseli
Painter of historical scenes
exhibited paintings illustrating
Milton
http://www.manchestergalleries.org/the-collections
Very similar style
Subject Matter
The painting is set in John Milton's Paradise
Lost, Book Two, as Satan is fleeing from the
Court of Chaos.
 The painting uses one frame to capture the
arrival of Satan in this chaotic court, his
discussion with Chaos, and his flight on
toward Earth. It contains several elements
quoted directly from this work.

Subject Matter Continued


The background is dark, foggy, and riddled with
multiple perspectives, illustrating the attitude of
the landscape described by Milton: "Quenched in
a boggy Syrtis, neither sea/ Nor good dry land;
nigh foundered, on he fares,/ Treading the crude
consistence, half on foot,/ Half flying..."
There are enough bodies to account for all of the
characters that Milton mentions, Satan, Chaos,
Night, Orcus, Ades, Demogorgon, Rumor,
Chance, Tumult, Confusion, and Discord. Chaos,
Satan, and Night are easiest to spot, but others
have been attributed titles based on various
characteristics and symbolism.
Subject Matter Continued

Even Satan's flight and Chaos's "go forward" gesture
are described by Milton, as Chaos urges Satan on his
quest: "'Go, and speed;/ Havoc, spoil, and ruin are my
gain.'/ He ceased, and Satan stayed not to reply.”
Iconography

Satan
– reminiscent of
Michelangelo’s
portrayal of the human
body
 characteristic of
Fuseli’s work
– outstretched arm and
extended finger is
similar to the Sistine
Chapel painting of
Adam and God
reaching out to one
another
– abstraction /omission
of the face- implies
obscurity, complexity
of emotion
http://battellemedia.com/images/sistine%20chapel.jpg
Iconography of Satan




“Springs upward like a pyramid of
fire/Into the wild expanse, and through
the shock/ Of fighting elements, on all
sides round/ Environed wins his way
(II 951-1016)
Sheer power and energy emphasized by
clothing
Satan’s War Helmet and spear are
Martial symbols that not only humanize
him but also emphasize his pure
strength and power.
The artist's choice to hide his face
implies that Satan is experiencing an
emotion so complex that it cannot be
portrayed
– A moment of humanity
Iconography Continued
“ …behold the Throne
Of Chaos, and his dark Pavilion spread
Wide on the wasteful Deep; with him Enthron’d
Sat Sable-vested Night, eldest of things,
The consort of the Reign; and by them stood
Orcus and Ades, and the dreaded name
Of Demogorgon; Rumor next and Chance,
And Tumult and Confusion all imbroild,
And Discord with a thousand various mouths.”
Milton, Paradise Lost
Iconography continued


The snake
– references Hell and the Fall of Man - Eve tempted by
Satan as a snake in Eden
– general reference to evil and cunning
Clouds and Darkness:
– imagery of the depths of Hell, void, lost, unwelcoming,
negative
– However- there are positive Biblical references to
darkness and clouds- possibly on purpose by Milton?
 He [God] made darkness his secret place; his
pavilion round about him were dark waters and
thick clouds of the skies. (Psalm 18:11)
 Then said Solomon, The LORD hath said that he
would dwell in the thick darkness. (2 Chronicles 6:1)
Iconography continued


Chaos
– Displayed as the central figure of the group
– Leader
– Old, as if he is an ancient ruler
– Outstretched hand symbolizes his role in ‘sending Satan
forth’
Night
– Obvious reference to darkness with the cloak
– Extremely old, withered
– Similarities to Satan
 “claw-like” hands and feet
 Emphasis on hands
 Hidden face
Iconography continued
Other Characters (identified according to
the research of T. Riggs, identity of
characters is debatable)

Discord
– Described as having “a thousand
various mouths” in Milton
– Snake-like hair can be symbolic of
these thousand mouths, each
snake with a separate mouth

Confusion
– Identified by as the pale figure
with the elongated face
– Reference to the “confused look”
on his face
– The pale color of this figure could
indicate the blank state that the
feeling of confusion leaves in a
person
Note: according to C. Douglass
– Confusion is identified as the
blindfolded figure
– blindfold symbolizes the
undirected, “confused” state of
the figure
– grasping the hair of the figure
next to him- indicates the need to
grasp onto something concrete, as
someone does when they are
confused
Discord
Confusion
Iconography continued
Tumult
– Identified as the blindfolded figure holding a sword
– Associated with battle in Greek mythology- significance of
the sword
Note: according to C. Douglass
– identified as the snake-haired figure who is, according to
Milton, “all embroiled with Confusion”

Tumult
Chance
– Identified as a feminine character
– Associated with goddess Fortuna
– The turning of the head could symbolize her need to look
away from what she symbolizes but cannot control“chance”
Note: the female qualities that are attributed to the above could
also be given to Discord, who, in Greek mythology, was the
goddess, ‘Discordia’

Rumor
– Characteristics of the “wind”
 Wind-blown hair and drapes
 Swollen face
– reference to wind symbolizes the quick spread of words
through rumors

Chance
Rumor
Iconography Continued



Demogorgon
– Dark figure in the far right
– Always portrayed as part
monster, sometimes with no
human qualities
– Possible that the “snake” is an
extension of himself as a tail
– Symbolic that his back is turned
 He is identified as a
“mysterious and terrifying
deity of the underworld”
Orcus
– Helmeted figure, a god of the
Underworld
– Punisher of broken oaths
Ades
– Also known as “Hades” God of
the Underworld
– The fact that he is older and
bearded gives the figure kingly
features
Orcus
Demorgorgon
Ades
Political Context




French Revolution (1789-1804) estimated date of
painting (1800-1830).
French Revolution and American Revolution
could have been inspirations.
Satan could also represent a new voice and hope
for the old demons; analogy to the new hope
given by the National Assembly to the lower
classes.
The Catholic Church lost prestige and power in
French government. The Church did not agree
with the revolution and so some people began to
dissociate themselves from it. (Satan, Death, and
Sin mockery of The Holy Trinity.)
Cultural Context

The artist’s attempt to instill
extreme passion, spirituality, and
qualities of the sublime in the work
reflect common stylistic and
ideological trends of its time.
Cultural Context Continued


This unknown artist inherits and conveys an
understanding of Paradise Lost held by many
contemporary thinkers.
These terms, in general, consisted of the
Humanization and Romanticization of Satan as a
tragic, epic hero, and appeared in the work of
intellectuals such as William Blake and Edmund
Burke, who are both shown below.
http://www.abm-enterprises.net/artgall1/william-blake-portrait.jpg
http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/images/2003/burke.jpg
Cultural Reflections: William
Blake and Edmund Burke



The most significant function of this obscurity is
its contribution to the painting is its’ qualities of
the sublime.
As Edmund Burke explains, “whatever is in any
sort terrible, is a source of the sublime.” Burke
Further notes that, “to make anything very
terrible, obscurity seems in general to be
necessary.”
William Blake says that Milton was “of the
Devil’s party without knowing it.”
– And he “wrote in fetters when he wrote of Angels &
God, and at liberty when of Devils & Hell.”
(The marriage of heaven and hell, 74-75)
Cultural Reflections Continued

The painting demonstrates other Romantic ideals
– “Romantics asserted that freedom is the right
and property of one and all,” and that in the
style of Romanticism an intense desire for
freedom can be depicted.
– “The path to freedom was through
imagination rather than reason and
functioned through feeling rather than
thinking.” This emphasizes the feeling and
emotion behind the painting.
– Romantics portray “a world of fantasy,
including the ghoulish, the infernal, the
terrible, the nightmarish, the grotesque, the
sadistic, and all other imagery that comes from
the chamber of horrors when reason is
asleep.”
Cultural Context Continued

Blake’s illustration of
Book IV - Satan as an
innocent, angelic
figure. striking physical
similarities to Adam
and Eve.

The serpent around his
body identifies him as
Satan, but portrayed as
a burden.

Downcast glance- sense
of regret and despair
he feels in Book IV.
Social Context

Assuming it was done
before or during the
French Revolution:
– Links with Romanticism
 Exemplifies the rights of the
individual
 Illustrates religious rebellion
– Milton may have been viewed
as a radical during this time
 Satan’s revolt against God
parallels the Third Estate’s
revolt against the Old Regime
 Satan becomes the hero
http://www.accd.edu/SAC/ENGLIsh/bailey/milton.htm
Social Context Continued

Assuming the painting is painted after the
French Revolution:
– The painting shows a new unity in the French
people

This is a direct allusion to the French
Revolution; the masses joining together
under Napoleon to fight for their freedom.
– Satan is the unconventional hero, who is
representing the crowd of characters left in the
Court of Chaos.
Social Context Continued
To show Satan’s power over the
people, he is depicted as the ideal
symbol of strength and power
through his taut, muscular frame.
 He is visually equivalent in size to all
the other characters combined.

– This emphasizes his control and
strength over those around him.
Ownership
Purchased in the 1970s by Spencer
A. Samuels and Company, Ltd., New
York from a widow of an European
“amateur” collector.
 Then Purchased on December 3,
1975 by the Ackland Art Museum.

Closing

Satan Leaving the Court of Chaos
is one artist’s visual interpretation of
a scene from Milton’s Paradise Lost.
– But it takes into account the Romantic
era of painting.
– Also the painting embraces the politcal,
social and cultural frameworks that
were intertwined with the time.
Bibliography
 Blake, William. The Marriage of Heaven and
Hell. Oxford University Press, 1975.
 Burke Edmund. A Philosophical Inquiry into the
Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and the
Beautiful. Oxford University Press, 1998.
 Kleiner, Fred, and Christin Mamiya. Art
Through the Ages. Belmont, CA: Thomson and
Wadsworth, 2005.
 Milton, John. Paradise Lost. London, England:
Penguin Classics, 2000.
 http://www.manchestergalleries.org/thecollections
 http://www.artstor.org/artstor/mainFrame.jsp