In the Shadow of St. Francis Painting by Art West

In the Shadow of St. Francis

by Art West

Canvas Print

$79

Framed Print

$105

Art Print

$54

Poster

$54

Metal Print

$102

Acrylic Print

$110

Wood Print

$82

Throw Pillow

$33

Shower Curtain

$93

Bath Towel

$45

Tote Bag

$32

Weekender Tote Bag

$56

Zip Pouch

$30

Portable Battery Charger

$66

Greeting Card

$6.95

iPhone Case

$37

Beach Towel

$45

Round Beach Towel

$98

Weekender Tote Bag

$56

Men's Clothing

$32

Women's Clothing

$32

Youth Clothing

$28

Toddler Clothing

$26

Baby Clothing

$30

Original - Sold

Price

$5,500

Dimensions

40.000 x 30.000 x 1.500 inches

This piece has been already sold. Please feel free to contact the artist directly regarding this or other pieces.

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Title

In the Shadow of St. Francis

Artist

Art West

Medium

Painting - Oil On Canvas

Description

NARRATIVE

HERE BEGIN THE PRAISES OF THE CREATURES WHICH THE BLESSED FRANCIS MADE TO THE PRAISE AND HONOR OF GOD WHILE HE WAS ILL AT ST. DAMIAN'S:

Most high, omnipotent, good Lord,
Praise, glory and honor and benediction all, are Thine.
To Thee alone do they belong, most High,
And there is no man fit to mention Thee.

Praise be to Thee, my Lord, with all Thy creatures,
Especially to my worshipful brother sun,
The which lights up the day, and through him dost Thou brightness give;
And beautiful is he and radiant with splendor great;
Of Thee, most High, signification gives.

Praised be my Lord, for sister moon and for the stars,
In heaven Thou hast formed them clear and precious and fair. p. 153

Praised be my Lord for brother wind
And for the air and clouds and fair and every kind of weather,
By the which Thou givest to Thy creatures nourishment.
Praised be my Lord for sister water,
The which is greatly helpful and humble and precious and pure.

Praised be my Lord for brother fire,
By the which Thou lightest up the dark.
And fair is he and gay and mighty and strong.

Praised be my Lord for our sister, mother earth,
The which sustains and keeps us
And brings forth diverse fruits with grass and flowers bright.

Praised be my Lord for those who for Thy love forgive
And weakness bear and tribulation.
Blessed those who shall in peace endure,
For by Thee, most High, shall they be crowned.
Praised be my Lord for our sister, the bodily death,
From the which no living man can flee.
Woe to them who die in mortal sin;
Blessed those who shall find themselves in Thy most holy will,
For the second death shall do them no ill.

Praise ye and bless ye my Lord, and give Him thanks,
And be subject unto Him with great humility.

Reference: http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/wosf/wosf22.htm

BACKGROUND

This painting began as a commission for an evangelical preacher who desired a painting of the famous church San Francisco de Asis in Ranchos de Taos. Sadly, his wife fell ill and he was unable to purchase the final result. Thus, the original is available. It is a very powerful painting.

He had asked that I do a painting of the front of the church rather than the more commonly painted rear. When I commenced, I did not know where I was going with it. Pope Francis had been in the news quite a bit, so I did some research about Saint Francis and learned of his great impact on the Catholic Church and decided to do an iconic painting of Saint Francis and his influence on the church.

And what better for reference than Gioto's painting of St. Francis that he did of the sermon in 1297? Perfect. Historical. And in the public domain. Brings an historical Saint Francis right into this 21st Century post modernist painting, casting a shadow of his sermon to the birds on the side of the famous mission.

I had initially done the moon red as I did in Taos Wolf Moon, but later changed it to a beautiful blue, the red still shines ghrough giving a fantastic color balance to the painting with sister Moon contrasting the brilliant red orange sunset cast by Brother Sun.

The painting is definetly late 20th early 21st Century Post Modernism. Not mid 20th modern, and certainly not 1297.

And it's a good balance of circles. The halo on Saint Francis, one cast on the church, and one in the sky. A trinity as it were. Threes are always good. Three crosses. Three figures of Saint Francis � his figure on the left, his shadow on the church, and his statue. And the circle of the moon always leads the eye back into the painting.

ABOUT MY ORIGINAL OIL PAINTINGS
I use only the finest oil paints and stretched fine art canvas. This large original oil painting comes stretched and ready to hang or frame. Although no absolute guarantee can be given as to longevity, I have followed to the best of my knowledge, those principals that best ensure an oil painting's ability to stand against the ravages of time.

This is not a knock-off. This is an original piece of fine art done using my own reference materials and techniques. My painting style is not based upon that of any other artist, living or dead, but is the culmination of years of study, experimentation and practice.

COPYRIGHT
All my artwork on this website is subject to copyright and may not be copied for any reason without express permission of the artist.