Saint George and the Dragon 1495 - 1505

Luca Signorelli painted "Saint George and the Dragon" depicting the heroic knight slaying the mythical beast. Here, Saint George embodies the triumph of good over evil, a theme resonating deeply with the anxieties of its time. Observe the dragon, a composite creature of scales, wings, and serpentine form, which has slithered through art and myth for millennia. From the chaos serpent Apophis in ancient Egypt to the dragon Ladon guarding the golden apples in the Garden of the Hesperides. This symbolism reveals not merely a monster to be vanquished, but a primordial embodiment of fear, temptation and disorder. The image of the dragon appears repeatedly, each time colored by the cultural and historical context it inhabits. In early Mesopotamian art, dragons were often associated with powerful deities, symbolizing the untamed forces of nature. This same dragon evolves in medieval Christian iconography into the serpent in the Garden of Eden, representative of sin and the fall of mankind. This cultural memory lingers, its transformation echoing the ongoing struggle between our conscious aspirations and subconscious fears.