This lavish and inclusive compilation of angels in art features depictions of cherubs, guardian angels, heavenly messengers, and more, from the Middle Ages to contemporary times, represented in frescoes, oil paintings, mosaics, prints, stained glass, tapestries, manuscript illuminations, and sculpture. Includes an index of illustrators.

This sumptuously illustrated volume analyzes artists' representations of angels and demons and heaven and hell from the Judeo-Christian tradition and describes how these artistic portrayals evolved over time. As with other books in the Guide to Imagery series, the goal of this volume is to help contemporary art enthusiasts decode the symbolic meanings in the great masterworks of Western Art. The first chapter traces the development of images of the Creation and the Afterworld from descriptions of them in the Scriptures through their evolution in later literary and philosophical works. The following two chapters examine artists' depictions of the two paths that humans may take, the path of evil or the path of salvation, and the punishments or rewards found on each. A chapter on the Judgment Day and the end of the world explores portrayals of the mysterious worlds between life and death and in the afterlife. Finally, the author looks at images of angelic and demonic beings themselves and how they came to be portrayed with the physical attributes--wings, halos, horns, and cloven hooves--with which we are now so familiar. Thoroughly researched by and expert in the field of iconography, Angels and Demons in Art will delight readers with an interest in art or religious symbolism.

Images of women were ubiquitous in America at the turn of the last century. In painting and sculpture, they took on a bewildering variety of identities, from Venus, Ariadne, and Diana to Law, Justice, the Arts, and Commerce. Bailey Van Hook argues here that the artists' concepts of art coincided with the construction of gender in American culture. She finds that certain characteristics such as &"ideal,&" &"beautiful,&" &"decorative,&" and &"pure&" both describe this art and define the perceived role of women in American society at the time. Most late nineteenth-century American artists had trained in Paris, where they learned to use female imagery as a pictorial language of provocative sensuality. Van Hook first places the American artists in an international context by discussing the works of their French teachers, including Jean-L&éon G&ér&ôme and Alexandre Cabanel. She goes on to explore why they soon had to distance themselves from that context, primarily because their art was perceived as either openly sensual or too obliquely foreign by American audiences. Van Hook delineates the modes of representation the American painters chose, which ranged from the more traditional allegorical or mythological subjects to a decorative figure painting indebted to Whistler. Changing American culture ultimately rejected these idealized female images as too genteel and, eventually, too academic and European. Angels of Art is the first study to discuss the predominance of images of women across stylistic boundaries and within the wider context of European art. It relies heavily on contemporary sources both to document critical responses and to find intersecting patterns in attitudes toward women and art.

"The word 'angel' ... derived from the Greek 'angelos, ' it meant 'shadow side of God, ' 'messenger' or 'revealer of truth.' ... Angels were given free will by God - those who chose good were given a state of eternal grace, those who chose evil found themselves cast out of heaven into hell." (Page 5).

Angels have been many things to many people throughout the centuries–emissaries of the divine, harbingers of holy wrath, symbols of enduring beauty and great power ... In this book, with Angela Sasser's graceful artwork guiding the way, you'll discover how to bring to life your own divine visions. Beginning with the basics and progressing through 20+ step-by-step demonstrations, you'll learn how to: • Combine the ethereal luminosity of watercolor with the subtle textures and striking contrasts of colored pencil and ink. • Depict realistic anatomy, including bodies, faces, hands and wings. • Suggest character and mood with accessories like clothing, weaponry, halos and tattoos. • Create the perfect backdrops, including clouds, flowers, stone and stained glass. Bring it all together in 8 full-length painting demonstrations, from butterfly guardians and romantic muses to demon slayers and the Archangel of Death. Or follow your own inspirations to create angels unbound by convention and reflective of your personal spirit.

This book celebrates Christian depictions of angels in art form, especially paintings. It devotes several chapters to the archangels Raphael, Michael, and Gabriel. Paintings discussed in the book include the works of Fra Angelico, Sandro Botticelli, and Van Dyck.