The Destroying Angel and Daemons of Evil Interrupting the Orgies of the Vicious and Intemperate is an oil painting by English artist William Etty, first exhibited in 1832. With this openly moral piece, Etty hoped to respond to critics who found his nude paintings indecent and in poor taste. It depicts a classical temple under attack from a destroying angel and a group of daemons. Some of the occupants are dead or unconscious; others flee in terror or struggle against the daemons. When first exhibited The Destroying Angel was widely praised for its technical brilliance, but critics were divided on the subject matter. Some praised its vividness and ability to mix fear and beauty without descending into tastelessness; others criticised its theme as inappropriate, and chastised Etty for wasting his talents. Joseph Whitworth donated the painting in 1882 to the Manchester Art Gallery, where it remains.
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1516:
The most well-known version of the Reinheitsgebot, the German Beer Purity Law, was adopted across the entirety of Bavaria. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinheitsgebot
1661:
Charles II, King of England, Ireland, and Scotland was crowned at Westminster Abbey. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_II_of_England
1918:
First World War: The British Royal Navy conducted an unsuccessful raid on the German-occupied port of Bruges-Zeebrugge in Belgium. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeebrugge_Raid
1951:
American journalist William N. Oatis was arrested for espionage by the Communist government of Czechoslovakia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_N._Oatis
1985:
The Coca-Cola Company replaced its flagship soft drink, Coca- Cola, with "New Coke", which generated so much negative response that the company put the previous formula back on the market less than three months later. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
tarn: 1. (Northern England) A small mountain lake, especially in Northern England. 2. (US, chiefly Montana) One of many small mountain lakes or ponds. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tarn
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Be not afeard. The isle is full of noises, Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight, and hurt not. Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments Will hum about mine ears; and sometimes voices, That, if I then had wak'd after long sleep, Will make me sleep again; and then, in dreaming, The clouds methought would open and show riches Ready to drop upon me, that, when I wak'd, I cried to dream again. --The Tempest https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Tempest
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