Depicting the Apocalypse

Apocalypse imagery has been one of the most persistent and adaptable subjects in Western art:

• Artists turned the visions into political weapons, casting the Whore of Babylon as a real-world rival or rival church
• The same scenes doubled as public sermons, teaching doctrine to people who could not read
• The tradition rolled on through William Blake, John Martin, and into today's horror films and video games

The end has been "coming" for 2,000 years, and artists have pictured it the whole time. The images change, but the formula — spectacular destruction in terrifying detail — never gets old.