Another day, another jaw dropping illustration by award winning artist Angela Wang, also known as Awanqi. Poignant and masterfully executed, "the shroud of agincourt" from 2019 shows what I believe to be St. Michael Archangel himself, a recurring figure in Angela's work, protecting what I'd describe as the embodiment of the sons of Agincourt, those French knights whose corpses were left in the mud on October 15, 1415. Unlike what happened that day, in Awanqi's art the French knight is actually safe from the English longbowmen's rain of death. The color palette is gorgeous (another trademark of Angela's work), with soft blues blending into soft greens interrupted here and there by shades of gold, all floating on a light beige background. The shadows add depth and gravitas to the whole piece as well as stillness, as if we were looking at a photo shoot in progress.
The battle of Agincourt is the darkest chapter of the Hundred Years' War from the prospective of the French. It wasn't until more than a decade later that they were able to overcome their generational trauma by defeating the English during the battle of Patay in 1429, a victory that would usher in the eventual end of the English occupation in French soil. "the shroud of agincourt" by Awanqi carries a lot of emotional weight on its shoulders and it does so in the best possible way. A thoughtful, stunning, healing tribute to those who perished in the mud of Agincourt more than 600 years ago.
More of Angela's wonderful work can be found on her website: awanqi illustration
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