Monday, September 13, 2010

Edward Burne-Jones and the Angels of Creation

Detail ~ Day 6


Panel ~ Day 5


Detail ~ Day 5


Panel ~ Day 6


Detail ~ Day 6


Detail ~ Day 6


Edward Burne-Jones
The Angels of Creation ~ Days 5 and 6 ~ 1875-1876


I was in my first years of college when I came across the English Dreamers, the Pre-Raphaelites, and the classic book illustrators: Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac and Kay Nielsen. Since then, they have given me a lifetime of pleasure, devouring their color, line and vision; Arthur Rackham’s work especially and his affinity with the fairy world and trees.

My third year of college, Edward Burne-Jones’s Angels of Creation used to hang on my bedroom wall, the color plate lifted from a book I own to this day. Yesterday I spent some time scanning the high quality image so I could post it online, with detailed views of each panel. There is something about the angels, certainly not happy, but not entirely sad, androgynous in their femininity; and the colors and the images in these panels, that calms me.

Note: I am not religious. The Bible story of creation is beautiful, and Edward Burne-Jone's depictions are ethereal. If you click on each image, you will see greater detail.

6 comments:

  1. I love the androgyny, too.

    Is that the fowl of the air inside the globe? It almost looks as if it could be the ocean, too. I love that.

    I'm not familiar with Edward Burne-Jones. Thank you for the introduction. It is very beautiful!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Julie,

      I think it is both the fowl of the air and the ocean. I'm glad you liked them!

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  2. I'm glad I clicked to enlarge. Really luminous.

    I like how they aren't grinning, and look so contemplative.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Hannah,

      I'm glad you enlarged. I scanned the image at a high resolution, and then reduced the size, or they'd be even bigger. The book I took the print from is more high quality than I would have expected from the price, even so many years ago, so the scans come out beautifully. Then I "doctor" the color to make it match the print I copied, as much as possible. Who knows, however, how close the print is to the original?

      Delete
  3. Love this art and artist, it is new to me, thank you for sharing.

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