{"product_id":"gary-james-mcqueen-the-flayed-angel","title":"The Flayed Angel","description":"\u003cp\u003eHand-signed mixed-media limited edition with blind embossing by Gary James McQueen. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCreated after McQueen’s time as Head of Menswear Textiles at \u003cem\u003eAlexander McQueen\u003c\/em\u003e, 'The Flayed Angel' explores the beauty hidden beneath the surface. Suspended between vulnerability and strength, the artwork reflects the artist’s enduring fascination with transformation, where beauty is revealed not despite what lies beneath the surface, but because of it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 'Flayed Angel' is inspired by the famous illustration with the same title originally published around 1745–1746 as part of Gautier d'Agoty’s anatomical studies, particularly within \u003cem\u003eMyologie Complète en Couleur et Grandeur Naturelle\u003c\/em\u003e. The work depicts the back muscles and spine of a partially dissected female figure whose skin has been removed, or 'flayed', exposing the musculature beneath. Despite the graphic subject matter, the figure is posed gracefully and almost serenely, creating an unsettling contrast between beauty and anatomical exposure. This unusual balance between elegance and dissection is what earned the image the name 'The Flayed Angel'.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eModern audiences often view the image as both haunting and beautiful, reflecting eighteenth-century tensions between scientific curiosity, mortality, religion, and aesthetics. Today, 'The Flayed Angel' remains an enduring symbol of the intersection between art and anatomy. Its unsettling elegance continues to provoke discussion about how the human body is represented, studied, and understood in both medicine and culture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn McQueen’s 'The Flayed Angel', the spine is no longer an anatomical study but a symbol of resilience and transformation. Rendered in gold and emerging from sculptural crimson forms, it speaks to the unseen forces that shape us—the experiences, memories and vulnerabilities that become the architecture of who we are.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis artwork is a mixed-media limited edition with blind embossing on Somerset Satin 410gsm paper. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFind out more about Gary James McQueen's art \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.castlefineart.com\/collections\/gary-james-mcqueen\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003ehere\u003c\/a\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gary James McQueen","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":65672041431389,"sku":"GJM-SLE-POR-41257","price":24167.0,"currency_code":"SEK","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0883\/1906\/6461\/files\/GJMTheFlayedAngel_0.jpg?v=1787557695","url":"https:\/\/www.castlefineart.com\/en-se\/products\/gary-james-mcqueen-the-flayed-angel","provider":"Castle Fine Art","version":"1.0","type":"link"}