Cynthia Short Hurley

Canadian (born in U.S.A.), b. 1949

White Bird Angel, 1985

charcoal on paper

203 x 304 cm

Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery; Gift of the artist

G-92-529

Categories:

Drawing, Works on Paper

Like her sculptural work, Cynthia Short Hurley’s large-scale drawing exhibits traces of her penchant for working in three dimensions. The large, central figure of an angel seems more built up than actually drawn on the paper, and there is an inherent sensitivity to volume and space. With her hands outstretched, this nude female angel reaches out to the semicircle flock of birds that moves fleetingly across the surface of the work. The entire composition evokes a sense of transition as if the angel is standing on the threshold between life and death. Stemming from mythology and allegory, this work references the ancient tradition of human fascination with animals portraying human qualities and humans and deities possessing animal-like traits.