Saint George and the Dragon
Paolo Uccello·1435
Historical Context
Paolo Uccello's Saint George and the Dragon, painted around 1435 for the Musée Jacquemart-André, is one of his several treatments of this chivalric subject. Uccello's fascination with the dramatic potential of the combat narrative and the decorative possibilities of armor and landscape finds full expression in this dynamic composition. Paolo Uccello was among the most theoretically ambitious painters of fifteenth-century Florence, whose fascination with perspective led him to develop extraordinarily complex spatial constructions that astonished his contemporaries.
Technical Analysis
The panel reveals Uccello's preoccupation with spatial construction and decorative pattern, with the spiraling dragon, lunging horse, and geometric landscape elements creating a composition that balances naturalistic action with abstract design.
