Engel in boom kijkt naar twee vogels 1852

Charles Rambert created this print, "Angel in Tree Looking at Two Birds," using an unspecified method. There's a sense of melancholy in this image. Our central figure, draped in white, has wings, but seems stuck, perched in the crook of a tree, passively watching a pair of birds. The angel’s androgynous features complicate the reading of the figure. The suggestion of a feminine presentation is challenged by the figure's muscular arms and broad shoulders. The small birds in the top right corner of the image, mirror the birds centrally located on the angel’s chest, suggesting perhaps, freedom of the soul. The imagery Rambert uses touches on themes of desire and the tensions between earthly confinement and spiritual liberation. The angel’s contemplative gaze invites us to consider our own relationship to these themes.