I love old cemeteries and have been fortunate to visit several interesting ones. But recently I found my very favorite cemetery Angel on-line. Some excellent pictures of it can be found on Wikipeida, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monteverde_Angel, where I snagged these pictures.
The dry facts are that it was carved by Giulio Monteverde for the Oneto family tomb, which is in the Staglieno Cemetery in Genoa, Italy (along with a lot of other wonderful, hauntingly beautiful statuary). But on the artistic side, this is the best angel sculpture ever. It is both an amazing sculpture and a compelling portrait.
It has an entirely gorgeous handling of the wings, with those long, enormous flight feathers that brush against her knees and show every feathery vane. If stone could fly, this would.
And the face is wonderful; classic Greek features with a straight nose and petulant mouth. Like all good Greek statues, she looks haughty, slightly arrogant, and just a little ticked-off. But she is also looking out at the world under her lowered brow and she is not terribly impressed with what she sees. And perhaps with reason; her right hand, which is tucked under her left arm, is supposed to be holding the trumpet of Universal Judgment.
But what I love most is the drapery, which somehow takes on appearance of satin. The “fabric” has tiny crinkles around the waist, pulls taut over the belly button (do angels have belly buttons?) and wraps snugly around the hips. When I think about creating this from stone, it’s amazing!
And so I wax poetic about an old sculpture. But sometimes art can move you, and this moves me.
One year ago: Earthquake!
Two years ago: World's biggest apple pie
Three years ago: Memories of Alaska
Four years ago: Pike's Peak is so beautiful
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