Cunningham’s series of winged figures is a small yet remarkable set of images which combine traditional depictions of supernatural beings with impressive studies on the potential of animations in drawing. Some of these images are sketch-like, representing skeletons with wings, recalling Cunningham’s academic anatomical training. Others are semi-abstract, turning anthropomorphic shapes into graphic signs or vague, almost architectonical compositions. Others still seem inspired by the plump, tangible bodies of the Rubenesque tradition, adorned with wings. In some instances, the figures are allowed to float weightlessly in space, suspended among the clouds in a dreamlike state of placid grace. In others, they become dynamic winged bodies, speeding upwards or downwards like birds of prey or engaged in violent struggles with other human-like figures.

The image of angels, anthropomorphic winged beings emanating from a higher, divine presence, has existed in cultures across the world for thousands of years. The transcendence of these figures is substantiated by the etymological meaning of the word ‘angel’, coming from the Greek ‘angelos’ which translates to 'messenger'. Incorporated by Christian narratives since the 4th century, angels emerged in artistic settings as ethereal beings related to divinity and sanctity, recognisable for their androgynous aspect and bird-like wings. They are now a fixture in art history, appearing on different media and across cultures and time. Arguably the most influential representations of angels occurred during the Renaissance, when angels became crucial elements of religious paintings, providing spiritual counterparts to holy characters of Christian narratives.

Many visual elements of this series seem to suggest biblical themes. The drawings in which a winged figure holds a male body, for instance, might remind viewers of the conventional visual trope that represents the elevation of the human spirit, or even the eventuality of human souls being ‘rescued’ after death. The Genesis narrative of the fallen angels may provide another powerful interpretative site. According to the ancient Abrahamic text, angels rebelled against divine authority and sinned, engaging a fierce battle between good and evil. Perhaps, the kinetic winged figures that populate Cunningham’s series might suggest the struggle of fallen angels, viewers to think of other kinds of conflicts, both social and emotional.

The projection of moral, visual or social values onto divine entities, however, does not appear to be the goal of Cunningham’s winged figures. Regardless of all their interpretative potentials, they essentially remain formal experimentations over the possibilities of portraying three-dimensional bodily movement on a flat surface. This series of drawings combines traditional figuration and compositional experimentation with the medium of ink on paper, producing striking effects of kinetic bodily energy. Such angelic forms, in this sense, constitute a mere platform for the artist to explore the relation between human and animal anatomies, between bodies and empty space. Building over the immense art historical archive that constitutes our shared cultural framework, Cunningham created figures that compel viewers with their apparently conventional forms and confound them with their powerful combinations of human, animal and natural elements.