Comparing Two Archangels

These two works have many principal elements in common, but are ultimately very different. Though they are comprised of the same materials, depict similar subject matter, and reflect similar influences, one would never mistake one work from the other. The content of these two paintings is comparable, but many formal properties and iconographic details are different. Both works appear to be oil on canvas. This was a popular medium in 16th to 17th century Latin America. Both works also feature a central figure. These figures both have wings, and therefore appear to be angels. Archangels were prevalent subject matter for art in this time and place. Both of these angels are white, and therefore European. This suggests that both of these works were copied from European prints. However, though these main elements of the two works are the same, the details and nuances of each work significantly separates on from the other. Two works differ significantly in the realism and accuracy of depiction. The first work is pale, one dimensional, and situated awkwardly. The second painting has shading, depth, and a realistic twist in the body posture. The clothes of the second painting …show more content…
The angel in the first work is wearing a helmet, and the angel in the second work has a halo. This highlights a difference in the interpretations of archangels- the first work shows a more indigenous interpretation, and the second shows a more traditional interpretation. The “angeles arcabuceros” could have referred to the aggression with which the church converted the region. Additionally, the Catholic Counter Reformation included military rhetoric, which promoted an image of the church as an army and the angels as its soldiers. The fact that this angel is armed sheds light on to the time period from which it originated- the Catholic Counter Reformation lasted from the mid 1500s to the mid