The Song of the Golden Baroque Angel by Silva Wischeropp

This abstract, surreal photo collage was created using images I took myself in Sicily. The photographs of the Baroque angel were taken on 17 April 2007 during my Easter photography trip with a Nikon D90 camera (lens: Sigma) in beautiful Sicily in southern Italy.

This enchanting, dreamy and colourful collage is composed of individual photographs I took myself, which I discovered in Sicily.
The image features charming angel sculptures attributed to the Sicilian High Baroque period. The photographs were taken during an extended Easter trip along the east coast of Sicily.

Angel figures symbolise hope, peace and confidence, and possess a protective quality.

The angels’ faces, gazing towards the heavens, lend the art photograph a charming, magical, soothing and protective atmosphere.

The particular appeal of Baroque angels lies in the fascinating tension between heavenly transcendence and a deeply human zest for life.
They embody the Baroque urge to make the divine tangible, emotional and sensually experienceable.
Baroque angels are characterised by several defining features:
Sensual vitality: Austere, ethereal facial features give way to individual emotions. They laugh, cry, marvel, make music or appear pensive.

Chubby-cheeked putti: The childlike, plump ‘putti’ are particularly popular. Their chubby cheeks, curly locks and naked, toned bodies radiate pure joie de vivre and innocence.
Dynamism and movement: Baroque angels do not simply float or plummet rigidly from the heavens. Their posture is extremely dynamic; they are often draped in dramatic, fluttering robes that blur the boundaries between heaven and earth.

Sources of comfort: In an era marked by wars and crises, they served as an emotional bridge and figures with whom people could identify. They conveyed a sense of security, comfort and the nearness of God to the people.