Saint George and the Dragon

 

Watercolor, Ink and Poster Color on paper
29cm x 40cm

 "S. George was upon his horse,
and drew out his sword
and garnished him with the sign of the cross,
and rode hardily against the dragon which came towards him,
and smote him with his spear and hurt him sore
and threw him to the ground."
-The Golden Legend: St. George

 About the painting:

Someone close to me suggested this painting idea a few years ago. So it have been in the back of my mind for a while.

As someone who loves fantasy I couldn't pass on making my version of the most well known instance of a knight fighting a dragon. So this work comes from my love for fantasy rather than any religious motivation.

One thing I noticed is that in all depictions of St George wounding the dragon, he is very solemnly above the beast while it slither and writhe in the ground. Certainly that shows how a figure endowed with the power of God can defeat that which is demonic. But where is the fun in that? I also understand that the pose itself is an ancient motif present in art prior to St George legend. However I wanted to show an heroic feat with a little bit more of a struggle and drama.

The Background:
Originally I thought about making it a pitch black background. When I envisioned the painting all these years I had this baroque Caravaggio-like lighting in my mind. But As I finished the main figures I decided it was a bit off. Knowing the dragon lived in a "pond like a sea" I went for it. 

The story (The Golden Legend) doesn't specify the time the event takes place so to keep it dark and moody I decided it should be at night. It Also complies with this weirdly unique Brazilian relation that the Saint has with the Full Moon, which was born from Yoruba influences.

The Figures:
♦St George's Dragon sometimes has wings and other fairly dragon-like characteristics. But since it lives in a pond I wanted to give it more aquatic characteristics while also looking like it should be able to move on land. I considered giving it wings shaped like flippers but it wouldn't look good on the composition. I think my version swims like a lizard. Apart from the hind legs which are intended for bipedal land walk every other anatomy trait was given to make it aquatic, the long body, the rudder tipped tail and the neural spine sail.
♦I also wanted to give the Horse this desperate look in its face. I know battle horses wouldn't fear the situation, but looking at how they behave in some sports I felt a dramatic face was best (and more interesting) for the drawing.
♦Another main difference from traditional representations of Saint George is that because the Golden legend is a medieval book he is often seen in medieval attire or even 15th to 17th century armor. understanding that he was a Roman knight some artists also represent him with a Roman soldier uniform. But since he apparently lived in the 3rd century I decided to give him late Roman warrior clothes.