When I first looked at Shaka's picture this week (installment #33 of the #LMAC contest) angels came to mind.
The metal structure in front of the church suggested angel wings. Part of this metal structure became wings on my horn-playing seraphim.
Traditionally, seraphim celebrate with music. Thus they are celebrating with music in my collage.
This image is credited to Jules and Jenny from Lincoln, UK. The image is used under a CC 2.0 license.
Typically, in the Judeo-Christian tradition, seraphim celebrate God. In my picture they are celebrating the arrival of the unicorn. Conveniently (for my purposes) unicorns have been used symbolically at times to represent Christ, and Christ's Resurrection.
Seraphim in Judeo-Christian Tradition
The seraphim in my picture are not accurate representations of the Judeo-Christian image. To get an idea of exactly how these celestial beings have been conceptualized in this tradition, I referred to several sources. Here I will cite, first of all, the Encyclopedia Britannica. According to Britannica, seraphim are mentioned in Jewish, Christian and Islamic religious texts.
The seraphim represented often have several sets of wings. In Greek Orthodox tradition they sing, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory”. Britannica, and other sources, characterize seraphim as the highest order of angels. These beings usually are associated with the color red, and are often called "The Burning Ones".
The Unicorn
There's a great site, crystalinks.com, that offers a list of 'reported' unicorn sightings through history. These 'sightings' date back to "The beginning of Time"--to Adam and Eve in Paradise(!). Some other reported 'sightings':
*The Emperor Fu Hsi in China 5,000 years ago
*Ctesiasm, in India, 4th century B.C
*Alexander the Great, in Asia, 3rd century B.C.
Note the unicorns in the background. The picture is in the public domain.
As for the role of unicorns (as specifically depicted in the Judeo-Christian tradition):
According to Lightworkers, a site that seems to be dedicated to religious themes, "the unicorn represents Jesus, who offers His life as a sacrifice to protect the vulnerable ". Another site dealing with religious themes, Preachingsymbols.com, states, "The unicorn is ... considered an allegory for the life of Christ".
Finally, in a book entitled, The Rutledge Companion to Medieval Iconography, it is stated that, "The unicorn was an allegory for Christ's life and resurrection."
I have to admit: I didn't know about the unicorn's role in religious iconography when I chose to place this mythical figure at the center of my collage. Unicorns just seemed to be lovely, uplifting symbols.
Creating the Collage
As is always true for me in collage creation, I went through innumerable missteps.
Here are some of them:
Shown below is an early step, where I assembled different parts that were to go into the collage. This is where I tried to figure out relative sizes and perspectives. The picture of the heavens was a "free photo" on Pixabay. The angels were also a collection of free images from Pixabay.
One of the first things I did was clip the wings of the horn-blowing angel and attach wings from the metal structure in front of the church (this was hard to do!). I could have kept the angel's original wings, but wanted to use as much of @shaka's picture as possible.
Then I proceeded to cut, paste and blend until the picture started to come together. One intermediate step:
Getting the clouds to convincingly surround the church was a major challenge.
The unicorn came from Paint 3D, as did the stars, piano, jumping angels, and harp. Lighting effects, additional clouds and other refinements were achieved by using GIMP.
I think you can see that for me this is a rather choppy process. However, every step is enjoyable. With my poor skill set, I learn to solve problems. That's always fun.
Thank you @shaka for giving the community another round of creative enjoyment. For anyone reading this blog, please go over to @shaka's blog. Amazing interpretations of this picture are there.
Also, as we are contemplating the heavens, may I suggest reading a blog by @lemouth. His essay explains the mission of researchers at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. @lemouth is part of a research team doing pioneer work at CERN. Through his eyes, we are able to speculate about the mysteries of the universe. @lemouth and his team search for dark matter.
If you have imagination and an appetite for wonder, you'll love the post.
A Section of the CERN Large Hadron Collider
Image credit: Maximilian Brice. Used under a CC 4.0 license
Hive on!
Thanks for the advertisement. While this was not necessary, it is very appreciated :)
PS: it is a cool animated collage :)
As I worked on this piece I read your blog. These two were connected somewhere in my psyche. Thank you for that :))
😃
@agmoore you do amazing publications. Not only do you work on the final artwork but you also offer wonderful documentary references.
Thank you so much. That is high praise indeed, especially from you. I haven't visited many of the #LMAC blogs yet. Waiting for my VP to replenish a bit. I got a glimpse of your picture...audacious blend of symbols. Very ingenious.
I had courage in the symbols but I still have to improve in the presentation
I think so
Wonderful art work AG. I thought of angels too when I saw the image.
Thank you! I saw your piece but haven't stopped by your blog yet. I did see the angels in your collage. Isn't it interesting how sometimes an idea hits you right away, and then a completely different idea hits someone else?
I'm heading over to your blog now to get a closer look at your 'angelic' interpretation :)
Thank you! I am very grateful for your support. And it really is encouraging to have this positive feedback.
Very nice scenery! The overlapping clouds are technically a new level in your crafting. At least I believe I haven't seen that before in your contributions. Nicely adds spatial depth. I also like the idea with the angel's steel wings.
Also thank you for adding to the prize pool by setting the beneficiaries to the LMAC. Much appreciated!
Thank you @shaka. From the first time I saw your collage contest I was intrigued. I thought, "Even I can do something artful with that photo". What an adventure it's been. Learning, as you note, unevenly, but still learning. Thank you for accepting every earnest effort, no matter how unsuccessful. LMAC is a place for creatives, no whatever their skill level. And everyone is creative :)
I think that stainless steel sculpture is a very bad installation for this place.
Nice information. Bravo
I tried to be very careful while trying to make something with it. I didn't want to harm anybody's cultural heritage. It was really hard for me to do something with second time including a religious icon. These are nice but sensitive areas for me.
I know that there is someone need these. Sometimes i need them too.
Or @shaka do you make me work for Vatican? =)
Hi @bidesign,
I tried to be sensitive, also. Hence the references to Islam and secular sightings of unicorns. However, it is a church with crosses and a Christ figure dominating the top, so the theme was kind of set (for me). The Church, as an economic and political institution, dominated so much of European history.