Babylon, the Great, Is Fallen – Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.

Robert Roberg (born in Spokane, Washington in 1943) has painted many images of the Apocalypse to warn people of what could happen if they did not follow God. Babylon, the Great, is Fallen illustrates a scene from the book of Revelation in which the apocalyptist describes the destruction of the city. In Revelation, Babylon appears as a temptress, "sitting on a scarlet beast … dressed in purple and scarlet" and holding a gold cup "filled with everything vile and with the impurities of her prostitution." The seven green hills below her are the kings who were seduced by her wicked ways, while the water represents all the nations under her power. Roberg surrounded the crumbling buildings with huge flashes of lightning and fluorescent colors to emphasize the violence of God’s wrath.