Saint Francis (2019) Drawing by Edwin Loftus

Pastel on Paper, 10x8 in
$941
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One of a kind
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Mounted on Other rigid panel
  • Original Artwork (One Of A Kind) Drawing, Pastel on Paper
  • Dimensions 15x12 in
    Dimensions of the work alone, without framing: Height 10in, Width 8in
  • Framing This artwork is framed (Frame + Under Glass)
  • Categories Drawings under $1,000 Classicism Animal
This depicts Saint Francis and the Wolf, one of the most recognized Franciscan miracles. A fierce wolf had been hunting and attacking livestock and people in a district Francis was visiting. Francis put his faith in God and went out to confront the wolf. The wolf became tame in Francis's presence. The Roman Catholic Church has a system[...]
This depicts Saint Francis and the Wolf, one of the most recognized Franciscan miracles. A fierce wolf had been hunting and attacking livestock and people in a district Francis was visiting. Francis put his faith in God and went out to confront the wolf. The wolf became tame in Francis's presence.
The Roman Catholic Church has a system of verification prior to recognizing sainthood, though what was the rigor of that verification has changed over the centuries, and a number of once popular saints have been removed from recognition in more modern times.
In many other sects of Christian belief, the similarity of the role of saints to that of pagan gods and the principal of the need for intercession has led to a rejection of this whole category of belief. But some of these saints have earned popularity beyond Roman Catholicism, due to respect, as in the Case of the modern Saint Theresa, and the ancient that is symbolic of something deemed worthy, like the kindness to animals quality of Saint Francis, who is often depicted accompanied by birds or by this wolf.
Humanity's relationship with animals has been uncertain throughout our known history and modern thought is not necessarily any more laudable than ancient or prehistoric approaches.
One of the worst beliefs, was the Logical Positivist (and other modernist philosophies also embraced this), that because animal thoughts, emotions, and physical experiences cannot be scientifically measured, they don't exist. In this view, animals are like biological machines with no thoughts, only instincts. This was a philosophical conclusion, not a scientific one and fortunately it has been rejected in most human societies ... but far from all and far from completely rejected in any of them.
A modern reaction of similarly dubious value inspires many, "Animal Rights," movements, seeking to ban keeping and harvesting animals for their meat, and other bi-products and services, like companionship. Somewhere between these two extremes is where I think that someday, we may find the proper balance, but I lean more to the Animal Rights side than the positivist's.
So, this is not just a depiction of a Catholic Saint. It is a meditation stimulant regarding the whole range of issues related to the interface of humanity and animals. I do not expect a resolution of this by the world's civilizations, because humans are animals and we need first to resolve what is the proper treatment of human beings before we can decide how or whether, different rules should apply to other animals.

This image includes many elements drawn from Medieval styles in art; the poses, the rocks that form the wolf's lair, the bones indicated its dangerousness and the portraits of patrons in the lower corners, this time, myself and my dear wife, Cynthia, who makes producing these things possible.

Related themes

Saint FrancisPositivismAnimal RightsHuman Rights

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Edwin Loftus is an American painter and draftsman born in 1951. His interest in art began at the age of 4 when he decided to draw something real rather than working from his imagination.  As a child[...]

Edwin Loftus is an American painter and draftsman born in 1951. His interest in art began at the age of 4 when he decided to draw something real rather than working from his imagination. 

As a child he excelled at drawing and as a teenager he began to experiment with oil painting. In college, he took courses in art and art history and realized that true art had nothing to do with the quality of the drawing or painting, but that it had to have the ambition to push the boundaries and expand the visual experience. 

He also studied philosophy, psychology and history and quickly realized that it was just another art establishment trying to defend its elitist industry and reward system. Their skills were almost non-existent, they knew nothing about psychology, perception or stimulus response, and they were extensions of the belief system that made communism, fascism and other forms of totalitarianism such destructive forces in the world. They literally believe that art shouldn't be available to ordinary human beings, but only to an elite "sophisticated" enough to understand it. 

Edwin Loftus realized that the emperors of art had no clothes, but they were still the emperors. Gifted in art, he worked hard to acquire this skill. So he found other ways to make a living and sold a few artworks from time to time. For sixty years, many people enjoyed his works and some collected them. 

Today, Edwin Loftus is retired. Even if he sold all his paintings for the price he asked, "artist" would be the lowest paid job he ever had... but that's the way it is.  It won't matter to him after he dies. He just hopes that some people will like what he does enough to enjoy it in the future. 

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