Angels with Trumpets

Church, faith, and religious practices were a constant in Warhol’s life from early years—his family was devoutly Catholic. It is said that, even in his adult years, Warhol faithfully attended mass; in New York, he visited his local church several times a week until his death. These influences also carried over into Warhol’s works—he was inspired to create more than twenty large paintings based on Leonardo’s Last Supper, and transformed several religious Renaissance paintings in his Renaissance Suite (1984). A trip to the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh will often reveal a section devoted exclusively to Warhol's works which revolve around his religion. Perhaps more recognizable are his angels—the winged cherubs which permeate his work as early as the 1950s. From his original drawings to his self-published book (In the Bottom of My Garden), angels and cherubs may be found dotted throughout his life's oeuvre.

The Andy Warhol Foundation estimated the date of this drawing as “circa 1954.” However, subsequent research shows that these” angels with trumpets” were created early in Warhol’s career. Indeed, their exact likeness appears in “Harper’s Magazine” published in December 1950 at page 41. Warhol’s drawings for this edition are illustrated in Andy Warhol: The Complete Commissioned Magazine Work at page 34.