I hope you enjoy the students' excellent observations and analyses of Raphael's St. George and the Dragon:
-- St. George is on a horse, and he's killing a dragon. Off to the side there is a lady on her knees with her hands folded watching him. She was probably about to be killed by the dragon, but St. George came and saved her. There is a building off in the distance that looks like a castle.
-- The horse is almost too realistic, with the big bloodshot eyes and its curving body. The horse's mane is also a little far-fetched, but the rolls on the neck are good.-- The blue of the knight's armor), and the mixture of scarlet and salmon red, make St. George and the princess stand out from the background. These colors make the humans the most vibrant part of the painting. [Fantastic use of vocabulary!]
-- I love how Raphael signed his name. It is super hard to find because the writing style is the same as the design of the saddle.
-- One thing that is impressive is how all the scales on the dragon look so real, with the colors of seaweed and moss green. Another thing that is really impressive is the landscape behind the fighting. The building and the trees are really beautiful.
-- I love how Raphael signed his name. It is super hard to find because the writing style is the same as the design of the saddle.
-- One thing that is impressive is how all the scales on the dragon look so real, with the colors of seaweed and moss green. Another thing that is really impressive is the landscape behind the fighting. The building and the trees are really beautiful.
-- One thing that isn’t impressive is how the dragon is so small. It doesn’t look very impressive to defeat a tiny dragon! I would imagine dragons as much bigger.
-- The details are so precise. You can see some of the individual hairs on the maiden’s head and the horse’s tail and mane!! Raphael also added the pattern of metal lines in St. George’s armor.
The students learned about the symbolism of the large peacock in The Adoration of the Magi, by Fra Angelico and Fra Lippi. During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, peacocks represented eternal life. Here are some of the students' insights:
-- All the townspeople are trying to catch a glimpse of Jesus and Mary or even visit them. Everyone seems flustered and astonished. Mary and Joseph look tired, but proud and loving of their newborn son. There is a barn structure behind Jesus, Mary, and Joseph that could be where Jesus was born.
-- The details are so precise. You can see some of the individual hairs on the maiden’s head and the horse’s tail and mane!! Raphael also added the pattern of metal lines in St. George’s armor.
The students learned about the symbolism of the large peacock in The Adoration of the Magi, by Fra Angelico and Fra Lippi. During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, peacocks represented eternal life. Here are some of the students' insights:
-- The setting is outside, and the painting shows many different parts of nature, like the animals and green mountains/cliffs towards the top of the painting.
-- The artist could have been more clear about what the Wise Man in the violet cloak is doing. He looks like he is inspecting Jesus's toes!
-- There are many Renaissance elements in this painting. There are lots of vivid colors such as a light tan on the barn, a cyan blue on Mary’s dress, and a light slate gray on the rocks. Also, the people are in natural poses, and their faces look like real faces. In addition, the artists used linear perspective to make the painting look realistic and three-dimensional.
-- I do not really like that dog-like animal just below the wise men. It looks kind of scary. I wouldn’t want that near a baby!!
-- Something I admire about the painting is the immense amount of detail put into the background -- not leaving the ground nor the sky just one color, but having an actual landscape and a beautiful flower bed.
