Saint Francis – Art Compared

Right now there is an exhibition of Spanish Painting and Sculpture on at the National Gallery in London featuring religious works from the 17th Century Spanish Golden Age, including Spain’s remarkable polychrome sculptures.

It is interesting to compare  one of the exhibits – a polychrome sculpture of the Saint created by Pedro de Mena (1628 – 1688) with the two modern Michael Smither paintings of Saint Francis posted on this site -Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata and Saint Francis in Ecstasy

Carved in wood and then colored, the polychrome sculptures were designed to produce a highly lifelike effect, as can be seen in the image below.   See “The Making of A Spanish Polychrome Sculpture” on the National Gallery site for more information about the process.

In spite of the huge difference in time, concept and materials, the ‘feel’ and likeness between this work and the two Smither paintings is noticeable.  It’s interesting to note that in both cases, the aim of the artist was to make the subject as real as possible to the viewer.

The 17th Century sculptor used a kind of super-realism to gain this effect, while the modern painter uses the setting of the scene and a style of vision that humbles the subject while at the same time emphasizing the spirituality of the events depicted : quite an achievment.

Technorati Tags:
christian, art, painting, sculpture, st francis, polychrome, national gallery, exhibition