Charles Hunter
Iconography Project
THEO20233
The chosen iconography image is St. George by Gustave Moreau. This icon was painted in c. 1870 with oil on canvas. The painting is based off of the legend of St. George which had been passed on through the Crusaders and gained popularity throughout the years. The legend tells that St. George rode past the princess, who was being sacrificed to the dragon, and decided to save her. He made the sign of the cross and charged the dragon with his lance which wounded the dragon. St. George would capture the dragon and return the girl to the town. There, he made a deal with the townspeople that he would slay the dragon if the king and people converted to Christianity. The dragon was slain and a church to the Virgin Mary and Saint George was made from which a spring was said to cure all diseases. Gustave Moreau’s painting is depicting the scene where St. George is stabbing the dragon with his lance in the legend. I believe the icon reflects and conveys ideas of holiness in several ways. St. George is fighting the dragon in order to save the princess. The dragon represents evil, death, or the devil while the princess conveys a sense of good and purity as well as the church. Holiness is found by St. George’s actions to subdue the evil in the world. Another aspect of holiness is seen from the golden halo around St. George’s head. This depicts a divinity in St. George and leads one to believe he is being led by the Holy Spirit. The princess is also depicting holiness. Her hands are folded while she kneels and looks upward toward heaven. Her posture shows holiness through prayer and belief in the Lord to protect her from evil. Through the use of color, light, posture, and expression I believe George Moreau tries to convey several messages. St. George is fighting down in the dark against a dark dragon while the princess is above them on a cliff looking out toward the bright blue sky. This conveys a distinction between what is good and what is evil. The white horse can also be seen as an element of good and light and also reflect upon traits in St. George since he is riding a white
horse. St. George is wearing a bright red flowing cape, which reminds me of the type of red garments that Jesus was accustomed to wearing. The expression on St. George’s face is one of great concentration and will which is necessary in order to fend off evil. The dragon has an expression of anger and pain which is usually associated with evil, but is also from the wound inflicted by the lance. The eyes of St. George and the dragon are locked together to emphasize their connectivity. The princess has an expression of hope, staring upwards at the sky and not looking down at the battle. This shows her faith in God, she does not need to even see what is happening but instead looks up. The posture of the horse and dragon are nearly identical. Both have their front legs raised up in contention. This depicts the ferociousness of the battle between the beasts. St. George is standing nearly straight up which gives him power and makes him the center figure of the icon. The holiness of St. George is evident in this icon by Gustave Moreau. The legend of St. George’s battle against evil is retold through the painting. The evil is being destroyed and good is protected. The golden halo depicts the divine purpose of St. George’s actions. He managed to preserve the princess, good, and show an entire town the power of God.
Resources: http://dragondreaming.wordpress.com/2011/09/08/saint-george-dragon/
How does image reflect some aspect of holiness?
St. George is fighting the dragon (evil) in order to save the princess (good) There is a golden halo around his head The princess has her hands folded in prayer The princess is looking up towards heaven
How does it attempt to convey the idea of holiness? Consider what the artist is trying to convey by color, light, posture, expression, and composition.
St. George is fighting down in the dark The princess is up high towards the light blue sky The dragon is dark He is riding on a white horse Bright flowing red cape St. George expression of great concentration and will Dragon in pain and suffering Princess looking up in hope Horse and dragon near same posture with legs St. George standing nearly straight up Princess sitting with hands together St. George and dragon eyes locked Horse looking out at viewer