Angels in art usually wear robes. This one wears a hoodie. Modern Angel takes one of the oldest figures in Western painting and dresses it for the present, and it does so in black and white with a single streak of digital noise. It is one of the most graphic pieces we make. This post looks at it closely.
What is in the picture
A figure stands facing us, seen from the waist up, against a plain black ground. He wears a dark hooded jacket with the hood up, over a grey zipped top. His arms are folded across his chest. His head is bowed, so that the hood shadows his face. He has a beard.
His eyes can't be seen. A narrow horizontal band crosses the face at eye level, a strip of interference with a thin edge of cyan and red. It is the only colour in the picture. It looks like a fault in a video signal, or like the bar used to hide a person's identity.
Behind his shoulders, a pair of white feathered wings spreads to left and right. They are detailed and bright, feather by feather. Above his head floats a halo: a soft, glowing white ring, tilted like a hoop seen from below.
Faint lines of typewriter-style text run across the jacket, with the word "Inspired" repeated. They are easy to miss from a distance.
An old subject in new clothes
The winged angel has been painted for well over a thousand years. The halo, a ring or disc of light behind or above the head, is older still, and marks a figure as holy. Both are among the most recognisable signs in art. You can strip away everything else, and a pair of wings and a ring of light still say "angel".
This piece keeps those two signs and changes everything else.
- The clothes. A hooded jacket is the everyday uniform of the city: of young people, of skaters, of anyone who wants to pass unnoticed.
- The posture. Painted angels look up, or gesture, or play instruments. This one stands with folded arms and a bowed head. The pose is guarded and inward.
- The face. Traditional angels have serene, open faces. Here the face is hidden twice, by the hood and by the bar.
The effect is to bring the angel down to the street. The picture suggests that the person in the hood on the bus might be more than he appears. It is an idea with a long history. There is an old saying about entertaining angels without knowing it, and stories and films have often shown angels as ordinary-looking people among us.
The hidden eyes
The glitch bar is the detail that makes the piece. It can be read in several ways.
- Anonymity. He could be anyone.
- The digital age. The image is breaking up, as on a screen. An angel seen through a faulty signal.
- Blindness, or refusal to look.
- Privacy. A figure who will not be identified.
It is also a clean piece of design. One thin line of colour in a black-and-white picture goes straight to the centre of attention. For the effect itself, see CRT and glitch art explained.
How the composition works
- Symmetry. The figure is central, the wings spread evenly, and the halo sits directly above. It has the frontal, formal layout of a religious icon. See symmetry vs asymmetry.
- Light out of dark. The wings and halo are the brightest things, against solid black. The figure himself is dark. So the signs of the angel shine and the man stays in shadow.
- A triangle. Halo at the top, wing tips at each side, folded arms at the base. A stable, strong shape.
- Black and white. No colour to distract. It reads as a photograph or a poster.
The mood
Quiet, guarded and a little melancholy. It isn't a comforting angel. It is watchful and private. Some people see strength in it, some sadness, some faith, and some simply a strong image.
Where it works
- A bedroom or a studio belonging to someone with a taste for streetwear, music and graphic design.
- A white or grey wall. The black ground makes a bold block. See wall art for white walls.
- A colourful room. A black-and-white piece calms a busy scheme. See black-and-white art in a colourful room.
- A music room or a recording corner. It has the look of an album cover.
- A hallway. A guardian figure by the door.
- A gallery wall, as the monochrome anchor among colour pieces.
It is a serious picture. It is less suited to a family living room or a guest room.
What to pair it with
- Stone Angel Vaporwave. A stone angel in blue and acid green. Old angel and new, colour and monochrome.
- Black Hole. Silver and white on black. The palettes match.
- Blue Crow. A dark, watchful portrait of another winged creature.
- One neon piece. Monochrome beside saturated colour improves both.
- In the room: black, white and grey, concrete, black metal, and one small accent in red or cyan to echo the glitch.
For more on darker pieces, see vamp romantic and whimsigoth.
The formats
- Framed poster. In black or white. A black frame continues the black ground and makes the piece look larger. A white frame draws a sharp line round it. See black frame or white frame.
- Matte poster. Matte paper suits a picture with this much black, because it doesn't shine.
- T-shirt. The design suits a tee well. It already looks like streetwear. See how to style an art graphic tee.
- Pin.
Hanging and lighting
- Centre it about 57 inches from the floor, so that the face is near eye level. See the 57-inch rule.
- Hang it on the centre line of a wall or a piece of furniture. A symmetrical picture looks wrong off-centre.
- A picture with a black ground shows reflections under a glossy cover. Check for lamps and windows opposite before you fix it.
- Neutral white light keeps the whites clean.
Each piece is made to order, so allow 2 to 7 business days for production and 3 to 7 for US delivery. Browse the framed posters and poster prints collections for more.