The artwork depicts a traditional representation of Lucifer — having attempted to seize the heavenly throne for himself, he was punished for pride and cast into Hell. The fall here appears only just to have begun: his legs are still illuminated by light, while in his hand a crushed lion — carrying the connotation of the ruler of Earth — falls together with him. This is one of the cornerstone paintings of the cycle “Mongrels in Inferno”, serving as an antagonist to the central work “Beware the beast — it brings the Apocalypse / Cave bestiam – Apocalypsis afferte / Beware the beast — enter the Apocalypse”.

Monika Radžiūnaitė (b. 1992, Lithuania) is a painter who earned her MA from the Painting Department at Vilnius Academy of Arts in 2021. Her work is distinguished by its reinterpretation of history, drawing from medieval and early Renaissance art, and weaving cultural references into her narrative-rich compositions.

Radžiūnaitė's paintings explore themes of foolishness and the shifting meanings of cultural symbols throughout history. By embracing ignorance, error, and the concept of foolishness as a deliberate creative strategy, she liberates herself from the need to adhere to the original or historical contexts of the images she revives. Her work challenges the possibility of accurately reconstructing the Middle Ages, questioning the limitations imposed by historical circumstances.

Through her ironic deconstruction of cultural continuity, Radžiūnaitė invites viewers to reflect on how past epochs continue to influence contemporary life, blurring the lines between past, present, and future.