Twee apostelen en vier engelen 1609 - 1660

Giovanni Battista Vanni made this drawing, "Two Apostles and Four Angels," sometime in the 17th century. The image presents the viewer with the figures of angels and apostles and begs the question: what role does religion play in culture? The Apostles and Angels are presented as figures of classical antiquity. The robes and idealized bodies are meant to align with established artistic conventions. It seems as if Vanni is making an argument about the place of the church within the grand tradition of Europe itself. This image would have been made during the Baroque era in Italy, when the Catholic Church was actively attempting to use art as a form of propaganda during the Counter-Reformation. Vanni's work participates in an institutional program that sought to assert the centrality of the Church in European culture. To fully understand works like these, one must consult historical sources to clarify the institutions, traditions, and power dynamics that shaped their creation.