Flying Angels 

Curator: Today, we are looking at a mixed-media piece by Walter Battiss entitled "Flying Angels." There is no known creation date for this image that is vibrant, intriguing and evocative. Editor: My immediate reaction is how playful and deliberately naive the piece feels. The use of pastel colours and bold figuration against a flat background gives it a dreamlike, almost childlike quality, even. Curator: Absolutely. Battiss, a post-impressionist, frequently incorporated abstraction, yet here figuration still anchors the narrative. How might this tension between the abstract and the figurative play into notions of identity and the symbolic representation of angelic forms in society? Editor: I see the interplay in terms of the materiality, the making, almost like children’s book illustrations done with cut-out construction paper—but elevated. These vibrant materials feel carefully chosen to create playful effects—but it makes me wonder, how were these angels assembled or what do we know about Battiss’s process of bringing “Flying Angels” into the world? Curator: Little has been formally documented about the process, yet understanding Battiss's cultural background, this likely reflects a resistance to a more traditional European painting mode, embodying more directly Battiss’s specific perspective and values, don't you think? Editor: Possibly, but thinking of materiality…the artist employs accessible mixed media which democratizes the image itself; there are no high art pretensions here. “Angels” implies a cultural heritage and set of historical references, that seem intentionally challenged. Curator: Good point, and perhaps what makes the painting feel contemporary, almost a critical exploration, then. Editor: I concur—a very intriguing and generative juxtaposition between what angel means materially and metaphorically in cultural practice. Curator: I find it thought provoking how "Flying Angels" questions pre-existing narratives while also embracing a joyful naiveté. The lack of explicit narrative direction in this vibrant piece fosters contemplation on individual roles as cultural creation. Editor: Yes! Ultimately, by simplifying and then rearranging culturally recognized themes or materials, this kind of practice permits for the possibility of questioning production hierarchies of fine art with playful mixed-media construction that gives license for reimagination.