Semiotic Identification of Renaissance and Baroque Angels

Semiotics, in difference to iconography, allows symbols and characteristics to be classified more generally than just identifying icons and their implied meanings. An example of this distinction can be found in Renaissance and Baroque angels. Often these angels are presented in the form of a cherub and attributed to their youth but at other times they are presented as guiding adult figures. Regardless of either presentation, angels are defined through their youth. Similarly, angels are classified as male-leaning but generally genderless in nature. This gender ambiguity is related to their religious significance and gives them superiority of gender binaries attributed to humans. The last key characteristic of angels are their connections to semiotics relating to chastity, most specifically the color white and their separation from sexual acts. An example of this can be found art historically in the analysis of Caravaggio’s original and rejected painting of Saint Matthew and the Angel. This painting shows the angel leaning suggestively over Matthew which outraged Caravaggio’s patrons. The revised version kept the angel at a distance from Saint Matthew to maintain the semiotic details of angel characteristics and remove any false associations between angels and sensuality. By definition, the iconography of the angel carries the semiotic qualities of youth, androgyny, and purity.

As mentioned in the Hatt and Klonk article, an important element of semiotic analysis in the context of art history is the differentiation from denotation recognition and connotation analysis (206). The characteristics described create the semiotic foundation that denotes these figures as angels in the eyes of viewers. The connotative analysis arises in how these traits can be attributed past the angel symbol. As these characteristics of youth, androgyny, and white purity can be applied in portraiture or other iconographical references, these characteristics evolve into connotation semiotics that relay meaning of piety and devotion to figures outside the direct denotation of angels. This can be found in the youthful, androgynous features of kings and religious leaders as well as the rounded flesh and white garments that surround images of pious women. The semiotics behind the Renaissance and Baroque angel support further semiotic analysis through the dissected characteristics of the iconography.

Readings Referenced:

Hatt, Michael, and Charlotte Klonk. “Semiotics.” Essay. In Art History: A Critical Introduction to Its Methods. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2017.

Featured Image:

Caravaggio, Saint Matthew and the Angel. 1602