Der Heilige Georg, den Drachen tötend 

Franz Pforr made this drawing, *Saint George Slaying the Dragon*, sometime before his death in 1812, but it remains undated. Pforr lived through an era of political and social upheaval. The rise of Napoleon and the subsequent redrawing of European borders challenged existing power structures. Here, Pforr uses the figure of Saint George to explore themes of heroism, faith, and national identity. Typically, Saint George is the epitome of Christian valor, and he represents the triumph of good over evil. But I see the story of Saint George as one that also embodies the cultural and religious tensions of the time. In Pforr's rendering, there is an interesting juxtaposition of the traditional and the modern, as the artist blends religious symbolism with emerging notions of nationalism. What does it mean to depict a figure who stands for universal Christian values, during a period of intense nationalistic sentiment? Perhaps Pforr’s sketch asks us to consider the intersections of religious belief, cultural identity, and the complex ways in which historical narratives are constructed and contested.