Information about the work
Petro Malyshko’s canvas Saint George the Dragon Slayer [Sviatyi Heorhiy Zmiyeborets] (canvas, tempera, 1992, acquired for the Khmelnytskyi Regional Art Museum collection from the author in 1993) is an interpretation of an iconographic motif frequently addressed by both professional and folk Ukrainian artists. The expressive brushwork radiates incredible energy and motion. Through what appears at first glance to be chaotically swirling brushstrokes around the spear, the artist conveys the force of the strike, while the vibrant palette and rich painterly surface of the rider and horse demonstrate the intense strain of the duel with the dragon.
According to the legend, the townspeople were forced to sacrifice young women and men to the dragon. When the king’s daughter’s turn arrived, Yuriy (George) miraculously appeared in the area. The courageous warrior engaged the dragon in single combat and vanquished it. Following the town’s liberation from the hated beast, the inhabitants embraced Christianity, and the warrior came to be known as “Saint George the Dragon Slayer.” Ever since, believers have invoked Saint George for physical and spiritual health, the fertility of the land, and for protection and intercession in the defense of their native soil. In Ukraine, the icon of Saint George the Dragon Slayer has always been held in special reverence, as our ancestors were forced to rise in defense of their homeland for centuries.
Canvas, tempera. 120 × 100
