Entry 21

Heliodorus Driven From the Temple

Eugene Delacroix

Oil and wax on plaster

714 x 485 cm

The Church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris, France

This image which is found in the Church of Saint-Sulpice in the Delacroix chapel is located on the opposite wall from Jacob Wrestling the Angel. According to the second book of Maccabees, Heliodorus the general was sent to take the treasure from the Temple of Jerusalem by the King of Syria. While in the act of confiscating the sacred treasure a horseman and two young men, the messengers of God, arrived and flogged Heliodorus and clearing the Syrian troops out of the temple.

Sources

Image Description from the Church of Saint-Sulpice
Web Gallery of Art, Image Collection, Virtual Museum, Searchable Database of European Fine Arts (1000-1850). Web. 12 Apr. 2010. .

Entry 20

“Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy”

By: Caravaggio

1595

Size: 36 x 50 inches

Location: Hartford, Connecticut

Caravaggio’s depiction of St. Francis receiving the stigmata is very peculiar in the way it is portrayed. Both the angle and the saint have a very serious look on their face and it seems to be a very private almost intimate encounter. A stigmata is a bodily mark or sore that is linked with the crucifixion of Jesus. This new understanding helps us interpret the reason for the angels touch at the side of the saint. According to John 19: 34 “Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.” This is symbolic of the stigmata St. Francis is receiving in this painting on his side. Along with the angel and St. Francis there is a sarcophagus in the back left which is St. Francis brother Leo. He was with St. Francis during the stigmatization.

Resources

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Saint_Francis_of_Assisi_in_Ecstasy_(Caravaggio)

Entry 19

“Saint Mathew and the Angel”

By: Caravaggio

1602

Oil Canvas

Size

Bottom: 87 x 72 inches

Top: 116 x 77 inches

Location

Bottom: Formerly in Berlin

Top: Rome, Church of San Luigi dei Francesi

If you notice both of Caravaggio’s paintings of Saint Matthews’s inspiration to write are drastically different in their presentations. The painting on the Bottom is his first attempt which was rejected for lacking respect and religious context by it commissioners. If you notice the painting on the bottom portrays Matthew as an average everyday person. His attire and his posture offer that he is of working class and gives no hint of nobility or respect. This picture was rejected and made its way to Berlin and was in Kaiser Friedrich Museum, but was destroyed in 1945 during World War II. The picture on the top is Caravaggio’s second attempt at the painting and this piece of art work is a much different representation of the encounter. Matthew sees the angel over his shoulder and is in a surprised state. He is receiving verbal guidance from the angel opposed to physical. He is also given a halo around his head which gives more respect to the saint. This image was accepted by the commissioners because it granted more respect to the saint.

Resources

Caravaggio The Complete Works

by Alessandro Guasti and Franchesca Neri

Entry 18

Jacob Wrestling with the Angel

Oil and wax on plaster

751 x 485 cm

Saint-Sulpice, Paris, France

This painting is a representation of Jacob’s struggle with the angel. Before meeting with his brother Esau for the first time in many years Jacob sends his family across the river, notice Laban and Rachel in the right corner, to be alone and to pray. While there a man came and wrestled with him, however, it is debated whether it was really a man, God, or an angel. This image depicts the visitor as an angel. They wrestled until a standpoint came when the angel put Jacob’s hip out of place. Jacob refused to let the angel go unless he could be blessed. The visitor did so and said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob. Your name will now be Israel, because you have wrestled with God and with people, and you have won” (Genesis 34:28). The name Israel means “he wrestles with God.” Jacob named this place Peniel which means “the face of God” because he said, “I have seen God face to face, but my life was saved” (Genesis 34:30). In this painting notice the pile of clothing which appears to have been discarded in a hurry. The angel also possesses the disorderly struggle of a man who does not want to submit. This image can be translated to our own interior struggles.

Sources
Church of Saint-Sulpice Painting Inscription
Holy Bible. New Living Translation. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House, 2005. Print.

Entry 17

Victoria Memorial

By: Sir Aston Webb and Thomas Brock

White marble and bronze

82’ tall in total; Bronze statues stand 13’ high

London, England; Buckingham Palace

The Queen Victoria memorial is settled at the center of Queen’s Gardens directly in front of Buckingham Palace’s entrance. Completed in 1911, it was made of more than 2,300 tons of white marble. The large state of Queen Vitoria rests at the top facing north-eastwards toward The Mall. On either side of the monument feature dark bronze statues of three angels: the Angel of Justice, the Angel of Truth and the Angel of Charity. On the pinnacle is Victory with two seated figures, Courage and Constancy, the figures were a gift from the people of New Zealand. Because of this topping, the memorial has become known as the “wedding cake” by its illustrious decoration. The entire sculpture displays a nautical theme that matches the rest of the mall, which suggest the United Kingdom’s naval power. Standing around 82’ tall, the structure was underway in 1911 soon after the death of the queen and completed in 1911. It is the largest monument to a monarch in England. The Angel of Truth may be Amitiel, known for assisting in encouraging humans to find the truth in our desires and experiences and to use these truths as learning experiences rather than to be in denial. The Angel of Justice may be Nemamiah, who some consider to be an archangel, the protector of those who struggle for justice and for the right of those who cannot defend themselves. Nemamiah also inspires empathy into our hearts. Finally, the Angel of Charity may be Zadkiel, who radiates comfort to those who are in grieving, afraid or abounded. He is considered an Archangel and is said to be the angel in the Bible who prevented Abraham from sacrificing his own son to God. The memorial is best seen at night, when it is lit up and the contrasting metal and marble shows the magnificent statue in its full glory.

Resources:

http://www.aviewoncities.com/london/victoriamemorial.htm

http://www.royal.gov.uk/HistoryoftheMonarchy/The%20House%20of%20Windsor%20from%201952/QueenElizabethTheQueenMother/MemorialProject/TheProject/FamousRoyalmemorials.aspx

http://www.triumphantchurch.org/beitmidrash/angelology.pdf

Entry 16

Abraham, Sarah, and the Angel

Jan Provost

1520

Oil on wood

71cm x58cm

Musée du Louvre, Paris

Abraham and Sarah are seen here as visited by an angel who expresses to them that Sarah would be giving birth to nations. The angel was sent to them by God to inform the couple of the impending birth of their son Isaac. The panel is incomplete since two of the three angels that came to announce the birth are missing. The lion at Abraham’s feet represents power, wisdom and justice. It is the symbol of the father, a master and guardian. The flowers seen at the bottom left of the painting represent the growing of new life in the mature soon-to-be-mother. Both Abraham and Sarah are dressed in red clothing which represents blood, the symbol of the life-principle. Red also represents the brilliant sun with its astounding strength and power. Abraham points to himself and to Sarah in disbelief as he is listening to the angel’s message. Sarah, standing in the doorway, has a faint smile on her face.

Resources:

http://cartelen.louvre.fr/cartelen/visite?srv=car_not_frame&idNotice=24007

Entry 15

Le murmure de l’ange (The Angel’s Whisper)

By: Benjamin Spence, 1857

68cm x 72cm

White Marble

Musseo d’Orsay

Based on a poem by Samuel Lover, Le murmure de l’ange tells of an Irish belief that when a baby smiles in their sleep, they are talking to an angel as the mother watches. “Her beads while she numbered, The baby still slumbered, And smiled in her face as she bended her knee; Oh! blessed be that warning, My child, thy sleep adorning, For I know that the angels are whispering with thee.” This classical piece of work is graceful and softened by a delicate romanticism. Spence portrays the baby on a draped mattress and the adoring angel with a precise knowledge of human composition in which the infant shows a natural sleeping pose and the angel lingers quietly forming a solid and balanced structure. Spence was an admirer of Neoclassicism and gained this passion from fellow sculpter John Gibson. Carefully watching Gibson’s techniques, Spence was able to create sculptures that accurately defined form smoothly enclosed by the light. Where Gibson was rigid, Spence styled his work to encompass sentimentality. Most of his works were not like his predecessors of mythology, but rather of Shakespearean characters, romantic English literature, and the Bible.

Resources:

http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/collections/works-in-focus/sculpture/commentaire_id/the-angels-whisper-3140.html?tx_commentaire_pi1[pidLi]=842&tx_commentaire_pi1[from]=729&cHash=46bac0b6b2

http://books.google.it/books?id=FUBCGO85uygC&pg=PA43&lpg=PA43&dq=samuel+lover+"angels+whisper"&source=bl&ots=7k-x544ILM&sig=BtYjgZpMn90iTKukh-VtF-zsFwU&hl=en&ei=L929S8DnIYaMOMLLqYkK&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=samuel%20lover%20%22angels%20whisper%22&f=false

Entry 14

St. Michael Defeats the Devil

By: Eugéne Delacroix (1798-1863)

Oil and virgin wax on plaster

Church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris, France

This painting is found on the ceiling of a chapel in the Church of Saint-Sulpice which contains three paintings by this artist (two on the wall as well as this one which is found on the ceiling). The central and dominant figure in this image is St. Michael the Archangel. He can be seen surrounded in light as he defeats the figures of the darkness He is chief of the heavenly host and is leading the celestial army which defends the church. Here he is seen fighting the rebel angels and defeating the dragon of Revelations and driving them from heaven. It is appropriate that he would be found doing so in this painting due to the fact that he is the patron saint of knights, who are known as defenders, and to trades related to the production of weapons and arms.

Sources:

"St. Michael, the Archangel - Saints & Angels." Catholic Online. Web. 12 Apr. 2010. .

Church of Saint-Sulpice Painting Inscription

Entry 13

“The Rest on the Flight into Egypt”

By: Caravaggio

1599

Oil Canvas

52.6 x 65.6 inches

Rome, Galleria Doria Pamphili

First, when looking at this painting you must look at the center of the artwork and notice that the angel is the center of the piece. We find a Madonna and Child to the right sleeping and an older Joseph on the left. This painting was peculiar for this time because it shows the angel playing an instrument. The angel is playing a song derived from the Bible book song of songs. The lyrics are a love story between bride and groom, Mary and Joseph. Along with the angel there is other symbolism going on. In the background there is a black lamb that symbolizes Jesus Christ coming into a dirty world. Along with the lamb is a dying tree, which is what the lamb hung on to die for our sins. In addition, Mary is wearing a red garment that takes your eye and she also has red hair. This could possibly be symbolic of Jesus’ blood covering her, but it is juxtaposed with her holding him. The music acts as a melody that carries the reader’s eye throughout the piece as the angel stands in the middle of the painting as a center piece you have to keep focus on it.

Resources

Caravaggio The Complete Works

by Alessandro Guasti and Franchesca Neri