Lucifer

Every Tuesday and Sunday in March we will feature a piece from Europeana 280, a multilingual online collection of millions of digitized items from European museums. Each work we show from our collaboration with Europeana, whether it’s an instantly recognisable masterpiece or a little-known but unforgettable treasure, was shared by a European country as part of the Europeana 280 campaign. The campaign celebrates Europe’s shared art heritage by exploring the diverse and magnificent artworks that have contributed to it. If you’d like to learn more about Europeana 280, follow #Europeana280 on social media, or visit this website. 

Franz Stuck was a German painter, sculptor, engraver, and architect, associated mainly with the Art Nouveau and Symbolist movements. Stuck's subject matter was primarily taken from mythology and inspired by the work of Arnold Böcklin. Large forms dominate most of his paintings and indicate his affinity for sculpture. His seductive female nudes are a prime example of popular Symbolist content. 

The composition shows the figure of a seated, naked man looking out of the canvas from an undefined dark space. The eyes are staring, fixed on the viewer. His head is propped on his left hand. The right hand is pulled back and sideways, both hiding and cradling the figure's dark, feathered wings. In the background on the left we see a phosphorescent light source. The painting "Lucifer" was purchased personally by the Bulgarian Prince Ferdinand I in 1891 for the Royal Collection, when he visited the artist's studio in Munich. On December 25th 1930, the painting was donated by the Bulgarian King Boris III to the National Museum in Sofia and entered its collection. Around 1948 the painting was transferred to the recently founded National Art Gallery, Sofia.