James Yale January 31, 1947 – August 18, 2023
In James Yale’s Modern Myth series, The Fallen Angel of War and Peace is his masterpiece.
This painting is a tribute to the absorbent mind of the child, Jimmy Yale from the ages of 0 to 6 years old, and his close relationship with his grandmother and first art teacher, Francis Phillips. He sat for hours with her and her books filled with gorgeous color plates of mythology, fantasy, and illustrations in her Bible.
James never described his paintings… he left it to the viewer to interpret the art with their own imaginations to tell their stories. James did explain that the first angels were mostly male warrior creatures… they weren’t pretty little feminine fairies with white wings.
He said, “I tried to portray and show the broken angel or fallen angel who tried to do what was right but ended up a victim. And at the same time trying to record what he thought and had done and yet…still being tempted by the coins”
“Veterans who have seen horror in battle,” James said that all they said to him when they come up to him is, “Thank you”.
What I see in this painting, is a warrior who has been sent here to fight darkness and maintain cosmic order. BUT He’s so tired of us. That we will create another battle to fight.
James was a master of Modern mythology. There is always a hidden treasure in his work for all of us to unlock our imaginations and stories.
— Charlotte Buchanan Yale
**Matt hasn’t found the original sketch for The Fallen Angel of War and Peace…Yet. But you can see it it the 3 minute video “The Art of Being” below:
