Elements: The Vision of Saint Eustace Painting

'Elements: The Vision of Saint Eustace' is an interpretation of the legend of the Vision of Saint Eustace, in a minimalist style. The legend of Saint Eustace, a forerunner of the legend of Saint Hubert, describes how a Roman soldier sees a stag with a crucifix between its antlers while out hunting. The stag speaks to him in the voice of Christ and the soldier than converts to Christianity, taking the name Eustace. This story has been treated many times throughout the history of art, perhaps most famously by Pisanello, whose palette and atmosphere strongly influenced this painting. In this interpretation, the viewer is put in the position of Saint Eustace, and is given a steady and piercing look by the stag, on whom the crucifix and the voice of Christ have been imposed. In my mind, the stag represents the forces of nature and the pantheistic Roman religion, which sees divinity in every aspect of the natural world; the legend seems to me to represent man's attempt to dominate nature, replacing gods of nature with an anthropomorphic god. In my verision of the staory, therefore, the crucifix is planted painfully on the stag's head and the stag eyes the human viewer reproachfully. The style is minimalist, dustilling the essence of the legend and intensifying the sensations that it produces. The paint was hand made by grinding dry pigments in egg yolk tempera and the stag and leaves were water gilded onto red bole. The support is an oak panel, prepared with white gesso. The techniques and materials used match those of Pisanello's early fifteenth century version, setting up echoes with that painting. The painting is signed and dated on the reverse and has a d-ring attached so that it is ready to hang.

Painting:Tempera on Wood

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:9.8 W x 13.8 H x 0.4 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.