Last Judgement I

This painting incorporates a quote from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, and certain motifs from the Apocalypse of John. For example, the army of locust-horses descending from the mountaintop in the upper right part of the painting, are drawn from the Apocalypse. As is the seven-headed Red Dragon in the bottom left corner of the work. Furthermore, the second beast of the Apocalypse, a small False Prophet (or the devil himself?) is smoking his vape on the bottom-right side of the hellhole.

These images are juxtaposed with the more realistic central-figure of a human soul in the painting’s center. This more figurative character separates the real from the un-real; and provides some realistic stability to the viewer.

The pit beneath the human soul splitting open resembles Saint Anselm’s quote as written by Chaucer. A small passage from this quote: “There shall the stern and angry judge sit above, and under him the horrible pit of hell open to destroy him that must acknowledge his sins.” The entire quote can be read atop Last Judgement II.

The painting’s space is intentionally visually distorted. As we stand together with the unclothed soul before the gaze of these gigantic judges, surrounded by singing seraphim, we cannot judge how far they are from us. Nor can we tell the exact size of the two-dimensional sinners falling into the blazing hell beneath her feet. Let alone the size of the fish-knights on the backs of insects descending from Mount Golgotha.

This disparity in scale emphasizes the absurdity and de-realization of everything that’s happening. Compared to these formidable judges, who condemn their own children to eternal torment; the demons, and apocalyptic beasts almost evoke sympathy. They at least don’t provoke such mental conflict, so they’re portrayed as rather touching and comical instead.