Music as an angelic message in El Greco's "oeuvre"

Abstract

Angels are assumed to represent messengers from God and in Christian art they are traditionally depicted as winged human beings. In the visual arts all figures are mute; therefore angel music as the divine message relayed to the viewer needs to be interpreted as a form of visual gestural rhetoric with an imaginary auditive reference. In order to treat this theme, the article is introduced by a general discussion of the representation of angels in El Greco's "oeuvre", followed by a brief orientation to the theme of angel musicians in Medieval and Renaissance art. An analysis of El Greco's paintings that include heavenly musicians reveal that the interaction between heaven and earth becomes continuous, eliminating the contrast between these zones that was postulated by Aristotle. Even though only a limited number of El Greco's paintings include angel musicians, their active presence in some of his most imaginative compositions illustrate the way in which he evolved an unique iconographical convention related to the theme of these consorts, and his innovative expansion of the meaning of the being and missions of angels.

Musiek as 'n engel-boodskap in El Greco se "oeuvre": Dit word veronderstel dat engele boodskappers van God is en in Christelike kuns word hulle tradisioneel as gevlerkte mensfigure voorgestel. In die visuele kunste is alle figure stom; dus moet engel-musiek as die goddelike boodskap wat aan die aanskouer oorgedra word, as 'n vorm van visuele gebare-retorika met 'n denkbeeldige ouditiewe verwysing geïnterpreteer word. Ten einde hierdie tema te ondersoek, word die artikel ingelei deur 'n algemene bespreking van die voorstelling van engele in El Greco se "oeuvre", gevolg deur 'n bondige oriëntasie tot die tema van engel-musici in Middeleeuse en Renaissance-kuns. 'n Ontleding van El Greco se skilderye wat hemelse musici insluit, toon dat die interaksie tussen die hemel en die aarde daarin aaneenlopend word, waardeur die kontras tussen hierdie sones, soos deur Aristoteles gepostuleer, geëlimineer word. Selfs al sluit slegs 'n beperkte aantal van El Greco se skilderye engel-musikante in, illustreer hulle aktiewe teenwoordigheid in van sy verbeeldingrykste komposisies hoe hy 'n unieke ikonografiese konvensie met betrekking tot engel-konsortiums ontwikkel het, asook sy innoverende uitbreiding van die betekenis van die wese en missies van engele.