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ST. GEORGE AND THE DRAGON
Oil on plywood, 24 x 48 inches, 2000
(Private collection, Indianapolis, Indiana)
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St. George and the Dragon is the artist's reinterpretation of the famous story of St. George. In the traditional renderings of the tale, the dragon is often portrayed as a monster, either killed or pierced by the saint to save the princess. In this rendering of the story, St. George's skills as a warrior are not needed: the princess is doing fine and, rather than being scared of the dragon, plays her little pipe. The saint, pictured at the bottom right in his traditional attire--armor and the red mantle--can only point to the scene above with astonishment. Behind the dragon we can see the traditional elements from the legend--the hoarded treasure in the deep cave. On the right side of the composition, at the top, the king and the queen, the princess's parents, look out from the tall windows of their palace. In the background we see a peaceful village. Despite the ominous-looking red sky, the scene turns out to be rather idyllic and peaceful. The tree is blossoming, the flowers are blooming, the wild creatures don't show a sign of being disturbed in any way by the dragon or by the princess, and at the bottom a villager, rowing the boat with the artist's signature, does not even raise his head to look at the dragon--since his presence is already a story with a long beard. The greatest challenge of this painting was its elongated size and its material, which is susceptible to warping if not handled properly.
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