An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid."
ceramic, glaze, and copper
This piece is based on Christian biblical descriptions and interpretations of angels. The words “fear not” or “do not be afraid” appear in the Bible 58 times, throughout both Testaments, mostly spoken by angels when delivering the word of God. Every angelic quote starts with the angels telling their listeners not to fear. So, here is the question: what about the angels could be so frightening that they must counsel everyone they appear to?
Most Western interpretations of angels depict them with beautiful human features, kind faces, draping robes, androgynous appearances, milky pale skin, light coloring, and a pair of white wings. Or, less commonly, as cherubs, babies with blond curly hair, tiny wings, and naked or wearing a loincloth.
Most Western interpretations of angels depict them with beautiful human features, kind faces, draping robes, androgynous appearances, milky pale skin, light coloring, and a pair of white wings. Or, less commonly, as cherubs, babies with blond curly hair, tiny wings, and naked or wearing a loincloth.
However, despite these depictions, the true biblical descriptions of angels are far different from these imagined ones. Some verses do describe the angels as men in white, but the more descriptive verses paint a much different picture.
Before the throne of God is a sea of glass, clear as like crystal. And in the midst of the throne and around the throne were four Living Creatures full of eyes in the front and the back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second like a creature like a calf, the third living creature has a face of man, and the fourth living creature looked like a flying eagle. And the four Living Creatures each had six wings who were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!' Revelation 4:6-8
As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like topaz, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not change direction as the creatures went. Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around. Ezekiel 1:15-18
The angel I chose to depict in my art was a cherub, or cherubim, as described in the verse above, Ezekiel 1:15-18. The true description of cherubs, interlocked wheels covered in eyes following four-faced angels, is far different from modern Western interpretations of plump white babies with little wings and curly hair. However, not all Western depictions of angels are inaccurate; for example, a fresco from the roof of St. John the Baptist Church in Macedonia shows us the strange circular angels as they were described in Ezekiel. I took inspiration from that mural.
My project, named, “Fear Not,” is composed of two interlocking glazed ceramic pieces. On the edge on opposite sides of each piece is a copper wing. The pieces move independently of each other. The eyes rise above the circular pieces. Messy glaze application was used to imitate the irregular patterns in stone or unpolished gems, as the angels in the Bible were often compared to. The colors are semi-monotone to emphasize the appearance of the sculpture, as opposed to the decorations on the sculpture.
The most difficult part of the process was creating the perfectly circular pieces. I tried many methods, but in the end I used two cups of different sizes on a rolled out piece of ¼ inch clay. Surprisingly, the two pieces did not fuse in the kiln, although the pupils that rested under each piece did need to be repainted. I chose to leave the piece somewhat messy. The eyes are not all the same size, the color is irregular in places, and the wings are crinkled. I chose to do this in order to project the appearance of a living creature, a being, an animal, as opposed to a geometric drawing.
The most difficult part of the process was creating the perfectly circular pieces. I tried many methods, but in the end I used two cups of different sizes on a rolled out piece of ¼ inch clay. Surprisingly, the two pieces did not fuse in the kiln, although the pupils that rested under each piece did need to be repainted. I chose to leave the piece somewhat messy. The eyes are not all the same size, the color is irregular in places, and the wings are crinkled. I chose to do this in order to project the appearance of a living creature, a being, an animal, as opposed to a geometric drawing.
I chose to do this project because I have always been fascinated by the Bible’s prophetic books, Revelations and Ezekiel. I wanted to explore the books’ descriptions of angels and how they contrasted with common depictions and people’s ideas of these beings. We have all seen statues of angels, but none of these statues fully explore the inhumanity of angels as described by the Bible. Western art does keep some aspects of the alieness of angels in its depictions, namely an androgynous appearance and unmarred beauty. However, apart from these minor details, according to Western artists, angels are essentially winged humans. I thought it would be interesting to take a real description of an angel from the Bible and translate it into a sculpture, similar to the millions of stone angels scattered across the world, while keeping the full extent of their alien appearances intact.
Regardless of one’s personal beliefs, Western culture has been irreversibly shaped by Abrahamic religions. I think it’s important to acknowledge the reality of the lore that so heavily influenced our development, for example, how strange and inhuman its deities are. In the Bible, God and their angels are only sometimes kind, humane, and merciful creatures. Often, they are cruel and jealous, and their morality seems less black and white and more orange and blue. We tend to ignore this aspect of the Bible. Much of conventional Western society and morality was built on the foundations of Abrahamic teachings. To ignore these alien depictions and influences is to remain ignorant of a large swath of our common culture. Also, it’s fun to drive past churches and see them for what they are, worship places dedicated to an idealistic version of an eldritch, super-worldly being.
Regardless of one’s personal beliefs, Western culture has been irreversibly shaped by Abrahamic religions. I think it’s important to acknowledge the reality of the lore that so heavily influenced our development, for example, how strange and inhuman its deities are. In the Bible, God and their angels are only sometimes kind, humane, and merciful creatures. Often, they are cruel and jealous, and their morality seems less black and white and more orange and blue. We tend to ignore this aspect of the Bible. Much of conventional Western society and morality was built on the foundations of Abrahamic teachings. To ignore these alien depictions and influences is to remain ignorant of a large swath of our common culture. Also, it’s fun to drive past churches and see them for what they are, worship places dedicated to an idealistic version of an eldritch, super-worldly being.