Saint George Killing The Dragon example essay topic

Rui a Mohammad 10/24/03 Two Paintings The two paintings that I seen at the art institute of Chicago were Saint Martin and the beggar and Saint George killing the Dragon. Saint Martin and the beggar was by El Greco and it was done on 1597. Saint George Killing the dragon was done by Martorell was done in 1430. El Greco did this painting on oil and canvas that had a wooden strip added at the bottom. The image of Martin and the horse and the beggar are positioned in the foreground. Even if the color is blue it precedes back in space.

The painting looks mystical and it looks real at the same time. There is a light source mostly on the horse and not much on the figures. This is more painterly then linear because you can not see the outlines. It is a closed form painting.

It is very clear and you can tell what is going on. When you look at this painting, you can read exactly what it is trying to tell you. You can see Saint Martin giving the beggar a piece of his clothing. As for Saint George killing the Dragon, it was a little different. This was made from Tempera on a panel of wood. In this painting you can see Saint George is about to kill the dragon.

You can see the dragon's eyes in terror and the frightened horse. You can not really see the face of Saint George because his eyes are shut and he does not want to seem frightened in front of the princess. On the bottom of the painting, you can see bones from animals and humans. To me that showed that the dragon had eaten them.

When I look at the dragon's tail, it leads me to the horse and to the princess. She looks like she is waiting for Saint George and meditating or praying for him. In the background there is so much going on. There is the castle with all the people in it. Then you see a plain of trees and forests behind the princess.

Also, behind Saint George you can see a beautiful pond. You can see all the people looking at the princess and Saint George. When you look at this painting you can see different angles of lighting. The metal armor looks real as its reflection takes us right to the horse. The dragon's skin looks also real. It makes me want to touch and feel the texture of the dragon's skin.

The most important thing that leads my eye from the image is St. Georges long sphere. The vertical line of the sphere takes us to the dragon's eyes, and the horse, and to the princess. The painting looks linear because of the outlines of the horse, scarf, sphere, and the dragon. The castle also looks linear because the light hits the edges of the building. The princess's red dress and white horse are symbols of sacrifice. This painting looks like it is open form.

There is so much going on that you do not know where it starts or where it ends. It just gives us an idea because of the sphere and how it is placed vertically.