Archangels were a commonplace subject for artists from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance Period.  As angels who played a pivotal role in many biblical stories, the four Archangels - Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael and Michael were prominent in religious lore of Christianity, Juadaism and Islam, though mentioned very little in the canonical Gospels.  

The most famed of the Archangel Michael resides in the Santa Maria della Concezione, in the first chael.  The work is from Renaissance painter Guido Reni, who favored the high-Baroque style which evolved from the Roman Catholic Churches edict that religious art should appeal to the common man with drama and emotion. Reni's The Archangel Michael shows the androgynous angel standing above Satan, his foot firmly planted on the devil's head forcing him to the ground.  This is a scene from the Book of Revelations where Archangel Michael commands an Angel Army against Lucifer and binds him for 1000 years. The painting is often referred to as Archangel Michael Slaying the Devil.

God's Messenger Gabriel was the angel who announced to the Virgin Mary that she would have a son by God.  This biblical event is referred to as The Annunciation and is a frequent subject of Renaissance art.  Two works stand out as iconic paintings on the subject.  Da Vinci's the Annunciation was painted from 1472-1475 and is credited to both Da Vinci and his mentor Andrea del Verrocchio.  The painting depicts Archangel Gabriel kneeling  before Mary, a Madonna lily in hand to symbolize Mary's virginity.  

The Cestello Annunciation by Botticelli, commissioned in 1489, shows the same Annunciaton event with similar themes.  The painting is noted for its use of perspective in the tiles that lead the eye to the landscape.  Botticelli paints Gabriel with mouth agape, to represent his words from the Gospel of Luke which were added into the paintings original frame.  Today both paintings can be seen in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.  

The angel Raphael was most often painted as the guardian of Tobias, son of Tobit on his journey to recover hidden money for his blind father, a passage from the Book of Tobit.  His role as protector and god of healing is emphasized in these paintings that show him leading the boy by his hand.  Filippino Lippi's version of Tobias and the Angel can be seen at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.  The Book of Tobit became a popular subject for Rembrandt, who embraced the story of the pious family challenged by adversity and assisted by the Archangel Raphael.

Da Vinci created two nearly identical paintings titled Virgin of the Rocks or Madonna of the Rocks.  The painting depict a moment where the baby Jesus encounters his cousin John the Baptist as an infant.  In the paintings, the Archangel Uriel is seated to the Mary's left holding the baby Jesus.  Subtle variations can be seen in Da Vinci's two works.  In the version that hangs in the Lourve Uriel points at John.  In the version of the painting exhibited in the National Gallery in London, Mary, Jesus and John are haloed. Dan' Brown's Da Vinci Code has brought controversy to these two paintings in the name of fiction, yet - art historians surmise that the original where Uriel points at John who is closest to Mary did create confusion and the second painting by Da Vinci removed this gesture.

Surrealism, a trend that began in the 1920s, was parented by the Dada movement that emerged in Paris during War World I.  Inspired by writing and visual arts, Surrealism was a cultural movement that incorporated schools of thought on philosophy, social theory and politics.  Salvador Dali was a eccentric surrealist who contributed artistically to the movement.

Self-Portrait with Fried Bacon Surrealism

An ode to Dali's "soul's glove", not the soul or the inner self, this self-portrait portrays his face with ants and fried bacon.  It was created during Dali's eight-year-exile in the United States  Dali left his home in Spain during the Spanish Civil War.  During this time Dali claimed that his works were painted from the inside out, and it appeared that he reversed  his "paranoid-critical method.%u201D  This painting symbolizes the artist giving himself up as food, and giving the era the most "delicious delicacies.%u201D

Geopolitical Child Watches Birth of New Human

In this work Dali creates a fiery Earth, a new human is born and is emerging from a plastic egg while a child looks on seeking the protection of its mother; the painting symbolizes the evolution of order, a fresh start and a world without flaws.  

Portrait of Picasso

Dali integrated many elements that spoke to the origins of the artist Picasso.  In this painting, the bust of Picasso is mounted on a  pedestal, symbolizing consecration.  A heavy rock sits on Picasso's head symbolizing the impact and influence of his art.  Picasso's face is depicted as a goat hoof and the headdress of the Greco-Iberian marble bust the Lady of Elche paying tribute to Picasso's birthplace.  

Dream Caused Flight of a Bee

This painting depicts Dali's wife, Gala nude and sleeping.  With long and thin legs, an elephant walks across the a watery horizon carrying an obelisk.  Near her body, two drops of water and a small pomegranate are supsended in the air.  Above a larger pomegranate, a fish emerges that holds a tiger in its mouth from which another tiger comes out.  Ahead of the second tiger, a rifle's bayonet touches the woman's right arm.  The work shows the influence of Freud's theories on the meanings of dreams and some believe is an interpretation of the Theory of Evolution.

Poetry of America Cosmic Athletes

Asking mankind to think about the dangers of conflicts within the modern world, this painting symbolizes the new human with a golden man balancing an egg on his finger.  The striking imagery again emphasizes Dali's paranoid-critical method, a subconscious association of those things that are unrelated in conscious existence.

Burning Giraffe Woman with Drawers

This painting signifies Dali's internal struggles with his country during his exile from Spain amidst the Spanish Civil War.  Open drawers line the leg of a gaunt blue female form with extended arms, believed to represent the "open drawers" of man's subconscious.  

Temptation of Saint Anthony

One of his later works, Dali claimed that he had converted to mysticism.  The Atomic era invaded his thinking and is evident in this painting.  The naked Antonius stands against a charging horse with elongated legs that defy the law of gravity.  Saint Anthony tries to refuse earthy temptations.  Symbolizing lust and greed, floating elephants approach on outsized, thin legs.

Are you a fan of Dali's or know someone who is?  Check out the Salvador Dali sculptures crafted by Parastone Mouseion.