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| Chorus Christian theology has always been defining angels as channels of communications between the Truth and people. Angel (Late Greek ἄνγελος, ángelos – “messenger”) is an intelligible entity, whose service and functions are to translate the Truth from Its Source to the addressee. It is remarkable that the very act of paying attention to angels clears, enlightens and refines upon the addressee (knowing via contemplation). This, so to say, translating culture from above appears to be historically typical in our society since the Vladimir's baptism of Rus and remains modern. Using many works on Christian angelology, I tried to express the sounds of seraphims’ choir, according to my lights. They are the highest rank of angels, that exist next to God and are the first to know anything; their singing – translating the Truth to the next steps of spiritual hierarchy, as it goes – is seen, not heard, since they are singing silently and eternally moving, remaining totally still. Their singing is inexpressible through musical means, so I hoped that seeing these active images, the viewer would be communing to the Godly Truth (surely, as far as the image is close to the Truth) in almost unobservable and imperceptible way: he or she would be enlightened, cleared and refined spiritually. To my mind, this is the ultimate aim of real art that remains up-to-date in any historical context. Gor Chahal. Moscow, 2000-2002. (Translated by Ivan Lukov). |
