Wild Angels-Catalog-small-with-cover

W i l d A n g e l s The Book of Genesis describes Jacob’s dream in the following words: “And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.” (Genesis 28, 12). The biblical narrative of ascending and descending reflects a dynamic and active stance that peaks when God appears before Jacob and promises the land he is lying upon to him and his descendants, as well as protection on his way. The angels play the role of messengers. The ladder is a go-between: it connects Man with God, worldliness with spirituality, and earth-bound materialism with the realm of unlimited possibility. Its rungs enable both ascent and descent. The bridge motif which appears in your works is, at times, vague, and at other times, completely present, yet it is always a meaningful part of the composition. What is its significance? What a beautiful and interesting connection you have made! I have never thought about a ladder, about moving up and down. The bridge in the paintings may be literal, but it may also be perceived as spanning different realities or “beings,” as you have proposed. I was thinking of an unstable, temporary existence, perched on the edge, hanging by a thread between heaven and earth. An angelic existence of limbo, on a base of sorts, yet not on the ground, and embodying a fragility that requires constant providence. William Blake, Jacob’s Ladder , 1799-1807