Blowing Horns, Tooting History of Archangels

The idea of protective entities that are invisible to the naked eye turns up in nearly every religious tradition. These entities are generally referred to as angels, and they usually have superhuman attributes; they can cross over to the afterlife, for instance. Angels aren’t always good--Lucifer was a bad angel--and there’s much they can’t do, such as fall in love or eat a ham sandwich.

Nonetheless, angels are an impressive notion, particularly as defined by the Catholic Church. Catholicism has, of course, left a huge mark on the art of Central and South America and Mexico. In a sense, then, “Archangels in the Latin Tradition: Contemporary Interpretations,” an exhibition opening Friday at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, is an inquiry into an aspect of Catholicism.

The show, curated by Cynthia MacMullin, the museum’s director of exhibitions, presents work by 32 mid-career artists, many of whom have never previously exhibited in the United States. Included are 15 Mexican artists based in Mexico City, three Cuban artists now working in Florida and nine artists from various regions of Central and South America who currently live in Los Angeles.

The exhibition includes a smattering of sculpture and photography but is otherwise dominated by drawing and painting. It establishes its theme in the entrance gallery, which houses three 19th century colonial studies of St. Michael, St. Raphael and St. Gabriel, on loan from the San Gabriel Mission and local collector Rae Neuman. From there, the theme is stretched in some surprising directions.

“There are many different cultures in Mexico, Central America and South America, and archangels are depicted differently in each of them,” MacMullin says. “Our intention is to highlight those differences, and toward that end, we’ve taken a very liberal approach to the theme.”

When the museum opened last year, artists throughout Latin America were invited to submit slides, and the show was primarily curated out of the resulting registry. Also on view are pieces from the permanent collection, which was assembled by Robert Gumbiner, who founded the museum.

“Angels aren’t a central recurring theme for any of the artists in the show,” MacMullin says. “Rather, they happened to do one or two pieces that fit the premise of the show.

“From discussions with them, I’ve deduced that maybe half these artists are practicing Catholics. More significant, perhaps, is the degree to which Catholicism permeates Latin American culture. You needn’t go to church to encounter the archangels; they’re part of a visual vocabulary that’s become an intrinsic part of Latin American life.”

For those who don’t attend church, it probably comes as news that archangels are a particular type of angel. Above the archangel is an even more elevated species of angel, who resides so high in the heavenly hierarchy as to be almost unknowable by man. Below the archangels one finds guardian angels, military angels, seraphim, fallen angels, cherubim, the dominations, powers, virtues and principalities--it’s a complex family tree.

Archangels are said to be intermediaries between mankind and God. There are usually seven of them, and the most frequently depicted is Michael, who protects Christians at the hour of their death. Michael is usually depicted as a winged youth of great beauty, and he brandishes an upraised sword and carries a set of scales for the weighing of souls at the moment of death.

Next in popularity is Gabriel, who protects small children, announces our good works to God and is usually depicted holding a lily representing purity. Then there’s Raphael, who dresses as a pilgrim, carries a fish and a traveler’s staff and is the patron of travelers and protector against monsters. The four remaining archangels vary from one religion to the next--and this is where interpretations can become extreme.

“Cuba has strong ties to Africa, so aspects of Santeria are woven into their depictions of the archangels,” MacMullin explains.

“Work by Ramon Alejandro, for instance, incorporates Santeria motifs that give it an element of Surrealism; Marc Andries Smit is a self-taught artist whose sculpture has the odd poetry of outsider art,” she says, citing the work of two Florida-based Cubans.

Alfonso Lopez Monreal, a Mexican artist now living in Northern Ireland, is showing a portrait of Michael holding a paintbrush and palette, rather than a sword and scales. Similarly, Nahum Zenil, who lives in Mexico City, always includes his own image in his work, and his piece in the show is both a self-portrait and an image of Michael.

“There’s a strong presence of Italian and German culture in Venezuela, where Karem Arrieta was born, and though she now lives in Paris, those influences are evident in her work,” MacMullin says. “Rocio Maldonado draws on images from folklore and mythology and updates several of the motifs central to the work of Frida Kahlo.”

Taking the show in a conceptual direction is Betsabee Romero, who is represented by an installation called “Absent Angel” that involves seven rose crowns that appear to be floating in shafts of light; the light falls to the floor, where it illuminates cakes of mud engraved with the names of the archangels.

The most radical work on view is by Mexico City artist Lourdes Almeida, a portrait photographer whose work is infused with erotica.

“The archangels are traditionally gender-less, but Lourdes often depicts them as women, and that makes her work recognizably modern,” MacMullin says. “The same could be said for Jorge Alzaga, an artist from Mexico City, who’s showing a painting of an archangel throwing down gold coins that represent hope. His piece was originally created as a poster for an AIDS fund-raiser--and that, unfortunately, is unmistakably of our time.”

Friday’s 7 p.m. opening features a lecture by Jaime Lara, an art historian who teaches at Cal State L.A., and a performance by the Saint Anthony’s Choir, which will present a program of seasonal music. The day after Thanksgiving is, of course, the first day of the holiday season--or the biggest shopping day of the year, depending on your house of worship. *

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“ARCHANGELS IN THE LATIN TRADITION: CONTEMPORARY INTERPRETATIONS,” Museum of Latin American Art, 628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach. Dates: Tuesdays to Saturdays, 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 6 p.m. Ends Jan. 4. Admission: ages 12 and older, $2. Phone: (562) 437-1689.