"The Demon Seated," Mikhail Vrubel, 1890

The painting by Mikhail Vrubel surprises the image of the demon. His sad appearance is not at all like the general human concept of how an evil spirit should look.

It is an image of the strength of the human spirit, inner struggle, doubt. Tragically clasped hands, the Demon sits surrounded by flowers, fixing his gaze into the distance. The composition emphasizes the tightness of his figure as if squeezed between the top and bottom rails of the frame.

The artist himself spoke about the most famous of his paintings: "A demon is a spirit not so much malicious as suffering and sorrowful, yet the spirit is domineering, majestic".