History of Medieval And Byzantine Art Movements

A painting wealthy in color typical for St.George on a rearing white horse, shown against a rocky landscape, slaying the winged monster as it appears before him. An angel crowns St.George with a martyr’s crown, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil. The tower on the right depicts the city, the king and inhabitants witness the battle. The meaning behind the painting, St George and the Dragon, was to portray the combination of chivalry and Christianity, as it is suitable for the occasion. The slaying of the dragon by St George as it is shown in the painting was first credited to him in the twelfth century, long after his death.

As illustrated in the painting, the saint is portrayed as a mounted knight spearing the monster in the presence of the royal family, who stand in front of a crowd outside the city wall. The princess, visible between her parents, is understood to have been the dragon’s next intended victim. Although engaged in the events, the white thoroughbred, shown with one leg hidden behind the dragon’s wing, possibly a unique occurrence, is prancing majestically away from the scene. 

The climactic reverse extension of the soldier’s raised arm, showing him both preparing and executing the kill, exhibits the typical medieval, or non-classical, telescoping of time. Legend says Saint George (died 303) taming and slaying a dragon that demanded human sacrifices; the saint thereby rescues the princess chosen as the next offering. ... The oldest known record of Saint George Slaying a dragon is found in a Georgian text of the 11th century.

Byzantine art (4th - fifteenth century CE) is mostly characterized by a move faraway from the naturalism of the Classical tradition towards the additional abstract and universal, there's a precise preference for two-dimensional representations, and people artworks that contain a non secular message predominate. Byzantine Art is vital owing to its influence insideChristianity art and design over nearly a millennium. The Byzantine Empire picks up with the dwindling of the Roman Empire within the early fourth century once Roman Emperor challenges the Edict of Milan to elevate the ban on Christianity.

Display is the exhibition of (something) in a place where it can be easily seen. George and the Dragon is a small painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Raphael. It is housed in the Louvre in Paris. A later version of the same subject is the St. George in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. This icon would originally be displayed in Göreme, Cappadocia since it is the place where Saint George slayed the dragon. Reason for this placement would be so the observers honor Saint George through this painting in the place of action (meaning).

Placement is the action of putting a person or something in a particular area or the reality of being placed. Placement of a portrayal doubtlessly alters or provides to its meaning. In the visible arts, composition is the location or arrangement of the visual factors, inclusive of figures, trees, and so on in a piece of artwork, as distinct from the difficulty or the style with which it is depicted. 

It can also be a notion of as the organisation of the elements of artwork in keeping with the principles of art. The composition of a photo is different from its difficulty, what's depicted,whether a moment from a story, someone or a place. Many subjects, for instance Saint George and the Dragon, are often portrayed in artwork, but the use of a superb variety of compositions despite the fact that the 2 figures are generally the only ones shown. 

The term composition means 'setting together' and might observe any work of artwork, from track to writing to photography, this is arranged the usage of conscious ideas. In the visible arts, composition is regularly used interchangeably with numerous terms such as layout, form, visible ordering, or formal structure,depending on the context. In graphic layout for press and desktop publishing, composition is commonly referred to as page layout. I believe the painting is meant to be a portrait because of Saint George's position and the fact that the buildings are pointing to the sky like they should. If the placement were to be changed the meaning wouldn’t be affected as it's still pretty clear how saint george is slaying a dragon.

The book “Gardner’s Art through the Ages” as well as the Menil Collection’s website helped understand the painting, Saint George and the dragon. The chapter on the Byzantium helped understand the culture mix of Roman, Christian, and Eastern influences in the art Byzantium and define the distinct characteristics in art from various periods of the Byzantine Empire. While the Menil Collection website helped me not only understand the materials, place, and name of the object but also understand the meaning behind this beautiful painting and the vivid imagery that was portrayed in it.