The Cantor has Rodin鈥檚 famous masterwork the Gates of Hell. As
Jackson Pollock鈥檚 important painting
Lucifer comes to Stanford as part of the Anderson Collection, it is interesting to explore the visual history of the Devil and his realm. Also known as Satan, Lucifer, Mephistopheles, etc., the Devil and Hell itself are only briefly mentioned in the Bible; yet this source inspired artists. During the period from about 1500 to 1900, the Devil evolved from the bestial adversary of Christ to a rebellious, romantic hero or shrewd villain. In the 20th century this long tradition of graphic representation largely disappeared, as Hell came to be seen as an aspect of this world and its denizens as 鈥渙ther people.鈥 Based on the collections at Stanford and augmented by several loans, this exhibition traces the dominant Western tradition over approximately four centuries. More than 40 prints, drawings, sculptures, and paintings鈥 including
works by Albrecht D眉rer,
Hendrick Goltzius,
Jacques Callot,
Gustav Dor茅, and
Max Beckmann鈥攔eveal how artists visualized Satan and his infernal realm and draw inspiration from religious sources and accounts by Homer, Dante, Virgil, and Milton.