Archangels Endure: From Renaissance to Modern Times
Archangels were a commonplace subject for artists from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance Period. As Angels of Presence, with the permission to enter the presence of God, the four Archangels – Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel were recognized across the religions of Christianity, Juadaism and Islam, though mentioned very little in the canonical Gospels. Archangel statues are still present across Europe due to the popularity they received during the Renaissance era.
Perhaps the best known painting of the Archangel Michael resides in the Santa Maria della Concezione, in the first chael. The work is from Italian artist Guido Reni, who favored the high-Baroque style which evolved from the Roman Catholic Churches edict that religious art should appeal to the common man with drama and emotion. Reni’s The Archangel Michael shows the fair haired, musculatured angel with androgynous features hovering over the Devil, his foot firmly planted on the devil’s head forcing him to the ground. The painting depicts a scene from the book of Revelations where Archangel Michael leads an Army of Angels against Lucifer and binds him for 1000 years. The painting is often referred to as Archangel Michael Slaying the Devil.
God’s Messenger Gabriel was the angel who announced to the Virgin Mary that she would be touched by God and bear a son named Jesus. This biblical event is referred to as The Annunciation and is a frequent subject of Renaissance art. Two works stand out as iconic paintings on the subject. Da Vinci’s the Annunciation was painted from 1472-1475 and is credited to both Da Vinci and his mentor Andrea del Verrocchio. In the painting Archangel Gabriel kneels before Mary, a Madonna lily in hand to symbolize Mary’s virginity.
The Cestello Annunciation by Botticelli, commissioned in 1489, shows the same Annunciaton event with similar themes. The painting is noted for its use of perspective in the tiles that lead the eye to the landscape. Botticelli paints Gabriel with mouth agape, speaking the words from the Gospel of Luke which were engraved into the paintings original frame. Both paintings are on exhibit at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
The angel Raphael was most often captured in oil as the guardian of Tobias, son of Tobit on his sojourn to recover money his father had hidden, a passage from the Book of Tobit. His role as protector and god of healing is emphasized in these paintings that show him leading the boy by his hand. Filippino Lippi’s version of Tobias and the Angel can be seen at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. Rembrandt took great interest in the Book of Tobit and the Archangel Raphael, making it a frequent subject of his work.
Da Vinci used Archangel Uriel as the subject of two nearly identical paintings titled Virgin of the Rocks or Madonna of the Rocks. The painting depict a moment where the baby Jesus encounters his cousin John the Baptist as an infant. In the paintings, the Archangel Gabriel is seated to the Mary’s left holding the baby Jesus. Subtle variations can be seen in Da Vinci’s two paintings. In the version that hangs in the Lourve Uriel points at John. In the version of the painting exhibited in the National Gallery in London, Mary, Jesus and John are haloed.
Dan’ Brown’s Da Vinci Code has brought controversy to these two paintings in the name of fiction, yet – art historians surmise that the original where Uriel points at John who is closest to Mary did create confusion and the second painting by Da Vinci removed this gesture.
The archangels appear as popular today as ever and have been frequent subjects of TV and film over the past two decades. Archangel figurines and statues are a popular decorating choice and the trend appears unlikely to abate any time soon.
