The Fallen Angel of Sloth

This is the fourth entry in a series of seven photo-manipulated graphics I created a while back that I called "The Fallen Angels of Sin." The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, is a grouping and classification of vices within Christian teachings, though they are more emphasized within Roman Catholicism. Behaviors or habits are classified under this category if they directly give rise to other immoralities. Sloth (tristitia or acedia in Latin) refers to a peculiar jumble of notions, dating from antiquity and including mental, spiritual, pathological, and physical states. It may be defined as absence of interest or habitual disinclination to exertion, but more importantly refers to an affliction attending religious persons wherein they become indifferent to their duties and obligations to God, hence my use of the image of a Bible with "read me" written in the dust that covers it. In Purgatorio, Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) punished those guilty of this sin by engaging them in ceaseless activity symbolic of their failure to act in their earthly lives. I chose to illustrate my 'Seven Deadly Sins' series by selecting stock photos of beautiful women wearing stunning formal dresses because I felt that the beauty of both the women and the gowns could serve as an allegory illustrating the fact that sin always appears to be deceptively wonderful, beautiful, or fun on the outside, but rots the soul once it has been indulged in. This artwork was created using stock photos that I purchased from Adobe Stock and downloaded with permission from various stock artists on deviantART. I have since left that site in favor of this one.