Spandrel Study- Angels with the Symbols of St. Mark 1747 - 1755

Curator: Look at this intriguing study in ink. Joseph Wilton created "Spandrel Study- Angels with the Symbols of St. Mark" sometime between 1747 and 1755. What are your immediate impressions? Editor: It feels buoyant, almost weightless. The swirling clouds and the plump cherubs give it a sense of playful dynamism, doesn't it? Curator: Absolutely. Wilton seems to be channeling the Baroque love of movement. The angels themselves, what do you read in their forms and symbolism? Editor: They're clearly holding symbols associated with St. Mark, referencing the New Testament author. One likely holds a winged lion, a common emblem. This intertwining of divine messengers and Christian symbols certainly speaks to the period’s religious sensibilities, but also to power of these figures in art. The composition places them above us. Curator: Indeed. Consider the context of such a spandrel design; it's meant for a transitional space, probably a church dome or archway, literally connecting the earthly and divine. It elevates our gaze. What social forces, in your opinion, shaped its creation? Editor: The flourishing artistic patronage, of course, largely from religious institutions. Demand for these monumental pieces communicated theological messages to a wide audience. Wilton may have aspired to win a prominent commission. This piece is the type to solidify a reputation and network of possible partners and financial backing. Curator: That is astute. Wilton's piece, beyond its devotional content, reflects an artist seeking upward mobility within a structured art world. I think that really illuminates why it speaks so much to continuity in our own art history. Editor: Very true, the ambition remains, even when forms change. Seeing this with that added layer makes me see all the work in the Minneapolis Institute of Art through that lens now. Curator: Agreed, thinking of what continues as opposed to what changes over time, that is the power of reflecting upon a single work such as this.