St.Francis in the Desert

St.Francis in the Desert by Giovanni Bellini creates a visual representation of the saint from Assisi by placing him in a wilderness landscape.  Bellini uses religious themes in this work in alternate ways.  The subject matter of this piece is constantly debated by scholars.  The three main ideas for the theme of this painting is the stigmatization of St. Francis, St.Francis looking into the rapture of the sky and singing, and that the saint is being portrayed as the Angel of the Sixth Seal.[1]  Two things that support the first theme are the rays of light coming from the upper left corner of the painting and the red marks of the stigmatization on St. Fracis' hands.  This painting is most likely meant to be showing this theme since St.Francis was once marked with these wounds before.  

St.Francis stands barefoot at the focal point of this painting adorned in tanish brown Catholic monk robes.  His arms are extended out to his sides in a fashion similar to depictions of Christ showing his crucifixion wounds.[2]  His head is upturned towards the heavens and his face has a wide grin across it.  To the right of the saint is a small structure, partially built inside of a cave, with a roof of light-green leaves.  Inside the structure sits a seemingly new wooden table with sandals at its legs, which for some reason St.Francis did not put on before going outside, as if he was rushed.  On the desk sits a closed red book and a glimmering skull.  These two objects show interest in reading and learning and also a fascination with the human body, specifically the mind.  The landscape surrounding St.Francis is one that encompases the natural world along with the urban environment that is beginning to form.  The city that sits off in the distance is one of the most convincing depictions of an Italian city in almost 150 years. The grey stone that surrounds St.Francis mutes the envornment that he is in of color, but creates a contrast with the background that makes the natural expanse that continues on behind St.Francis seem more appealing.  In the grassfield near the cave stands a mule and an egret, looking in the same direction as the saint, as if there is something to see.  They stand on green and brown grass and are surrounded by barren trees.  They stand near a cliff that is a light tan stone.  The grassland that extends behind the two animals holds livestock that seem to be horses.  Behind the herd lies a traditional Italian city with high walls and even higher towers made of a tan stone and with red roofs.  The mountain that sits in the distance is crowned with a fortress and its side is covered with colorful fertilized fields.  One thing that is not entirely clear to scholars is how this background relates to the rest of the painting.[3]  The sky is rather small, but is one of the most important parts of the piece.  The sky has a light blue to dark blue transition from the horizon to the top of the painting and is littered with while clouds that are stretched out across the sky.  In the sky, in the top left corner, is a difference in light that creates rays that move down towards St.Francis and seem to make the tree on the left hand side of the painting bend towards the Earth as if it is bowing.  This painting, although its subject matter is undecided, clearly deals with religious matters and serves to pay homage to Saint Francis of Assisi.  

[1]Anthony F. “The Meaning of the Landscape in Bellini's ‘St. Francis in Ecstasy’.” Artibus Et Historiae 15, no. 30 (1994): 41–54.
[2]Lavin, Marilyn Aronberg, Jinyu Liu, and Adam Gitner. “The Joy of St. Francis: Bellini's Panel in the Frick Collection.” Artibus et Historiae 28, no. 56
[3]Christiansen, Keith. “Bellini and the Meditational ‘Poesia’.” Artibus Et Historiae 34, no. 67 (2003): 10–20.

Giovanni Bellini

Bibliography
Christiansen, Keith. “Bellini and the Meditational ‘Poesia’.” Artibus Et Historiae 34, no. 67 (2003): 10–20. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23510240.

Jansen, Anthony F. “The Meaning of the Landscape in Bellini's ‘St. Francis in Ecstasy’.” Artibus Et Historiae 15, no. 30 (1994): 41–54. https://doi.org/10.2307/1483472.

Lavin, Marilyn Aronberg, Jinyu Liu, and Adam Gitner. “The Joy of St. Francis: Bellini's Panel in the Frick Collection.” Artibus et Historiae 28, no. 56 (1994): 231–56. https://doi.org/10.2307/20067174.

Giovanni Bellini, European; Southern European; Italian, c.1430-1516. c. 1480. St. Francis in the Desert. Paintings. Place: The Frick Collection, New York, New York, USA, Purchased, 15.1.3, http://www.frick.org/. https://library.artstor.org/asset/AMICO_FRICK_103804828.

Giovanni Bellini, European; Southern European; Italian, c.1430-1516. c. 1480. St. Francis in the Desert. Paintings. Place: The Frick Collection, New York, New York, USA, Purchased, 15.1.3, http://www.frick.org/. https://library.artstor.org/asset/AMICO_FRICK_103804828.

c. 1480

Darien Sansosti

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124.4 x 141.9 cm

tempera and oil on poplar panel (cradled)

The Frick Collection
New York, New York, USA