“Guardian Angels,” created by Dorothea Tanning in 1946, is an oil painting on canvas belonging to the Surrealism art movement. Classified as a religious painting, it currently resides in the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) located in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
The artwork presents an ethereal and evocative scene characteristic of surrealist depictions, blending dream-like elements with ambiguous forms. The painting appears to capture a poignant moment involving angelic figures, rendered in dynamic and fluid shapes, amidst a swirling, almost turbulent background. The figures, with their elongated and somewhat distorted limbs, convey a sense of motion and drama, highlighting Tanning’s ability to merge the fantastical with the divine. The colors are predominantly muted, with an interplay of light and shadow that adds to the mystical and otherworldly ambiance of the composition.
