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This drawing is made with brush tip markers and watercolor on rice paper in the size of 30x40cm. It is titled "Saint George Holy Warrior" and is inspired by a classic representation of Saint George and the dragon. I prepared it in honor of St. George and George Ben Jor.
The representation that I have chosen as a reference for my illustration was a small, very old painting I remember seeing in the house my grandmother's since I was very little, I think it was always there.
My grandmother's painting of St. George looks like a simple printed reproduction that someone wanted to frame for better preservation. It is a well-known classical representation, yet I could not find the name of the author of the work.
It is also a very traditional image of St. George, at least in Brazil. The holy warrior dressed in his armor and wielding his spear, mounted on his white horse facing the dragon.
I wanted the image to be easily recognizable in my design by the elements it carries, since my style is totally different from the conventional when it comes to reproducing saints. Christians. My way of drawing rather follows a traditional Japanese pattern and some fundamentals thought for the tattoo technique.
Apart from wanting to reproduce my grandmother's St. George in my own way, I have long wanted to paint something in honor of Jorge Ben Jor.this great Brazilian musician, singer and composer.
I had already decided to represent him with the image of St. George for two reasons.
The first and most obvious reason is that this singer, who is very popular in Brazil, has been has the same name as the warrior saint and has recorded a beautiful song in his honor, entitled Jorge da Capadócia.
Another reason is that I see a great similarity in all that St. George symbolizes and the way of being of George Ben Jor.. Those who know the symbolism of this saint and the life and work of this musician will know what I am talking about. In a nutshell, St. George is a saint of all, interracial, multicultural and pluri-religious who inspires and moves multitudes for what he represents.
Jorge Ben is an eclectic and multifaceted musician.He is capable of making songs of different styles and mixing the most varied melodies. His characteristic style includes samba, funk, rock, maracatu, bossa nova or rap and he is considered one of the pioneers of samba rock.
In his lyrics, this Brazilian composer treats all people equally.. He composed music dedicated to Jesus Christ, St. George and Ogun, Hermes Trimegistus, Xica da Silva, Zumbi dos Palmares, Fio Maravilha and Cassius Marcellus Clay, among others. With the same enthusiasm he was able to compose songs dedicated to countless women, a tie printed with flowers and flying saucers. Always with lightness and joy, even when he touches on controversial topics.
Nowadays in Spain and around the world, this singer is mainly known for the song "Mais que nada" (More than nothing, in Spanish) which he released in his album "Samba Esquema Novo" in 1963. The song became known outside Brazil with a version recorded by Sergio Méndez and Black Eyed Peas in 2006.
I talk at length about this song in a blog post called St. George and the Dragon.. You have a link at the end of this article and it is worth a look if you want to know more about this topic.
Here I will resign myself to say why I thought it was important to capture the lyrics of the song in my drawing.
A friend once told me that he did not believe in religions, but he did believe in the power of faith. I think he made a lot of sense.
Prayers, mantras and incantations have been practiced since time immemorial by mankind. There are other modern concepts with similar purposes, such as autosuggestion or neurolinguistic programming. Some believe in the power of the gods, others in the power of the mind, and there are also many who believe in the power of money.
They say that faith moves mountains. I don't think it is an indisputable truth, but I do think that Intention comes first when it comes to achieving something, and then there is perseverance or "perseverance" as Jorge Ben Ben sings in the song.
Jorge da Capadócia is a sung prayer and those who identify with it may hear and sing it countless times. It is easy to know it by heart and the simple fact of remembering it, even if only in part, can bring some comfort.
The song Jorge da Capadócia speaks of having as a model the warrior Jorge and the orisha Ogún for be inspired to be strong, courageous and true to your beliefs, feeling happy and grateful for it.
Likewise, the lyrics send a beautiful message about how to deal with enemies. Evokes protection without wishing evilalways remembering be persevering.
There are more messages in this song, and others that may be revealed to each one who dedicates a moment of reflection to it.
I wanted to capture the lyrics of the song in my drawing because I am fascinated by it.I also wanted to share it to remember it among those who already know itand perhaps to introduce it to those who have not yet heard of it.
In my drawingaround the image of St. George and the lyrics of the song, I wanted to add an Ogún guide.
St. George's Guide is a necklace composed of several rows of seven red beads interspersed with seven green beads. This is one of the combinations that represent Ogún, although there are other models and different color combinations that also represent him. There are also guides that wear seven small sword-shaped pendants and other thicker ones composed of seven necklaces of beads joined together.
The purpose of the guides in Umbanda and Candomblé is similar to that of pendants with medals of saints in Christianity. They are ask for protection and express gratitude to the orisha in question.
I find it interesting that the The preparation and use of this guide involves a multi-step ritual.. This ceremony adds value, it is not simply a purchased object.
The choice of colors is also intended to highlight the syncretism of St. George with Ogún.
I wanted green and red to predominate, the representative colors of Ogún in Candomblé and Umbanda. Gray, ochre and sepia represent metallic, silver or golden tones also for Ogún, known as the blacksmith orisha.
More than fifteen years ago, I came across a book that cited the tattoo artists are among the professions protected by Ogún.. I was excited because at that time almost no one considered tattoo artists as a professional class. Since that time I had a special sympathy for this orisha.
If you want to know more about St. George and the dragon, Ogún, Jorge Ben Jor or the song Jorge da Capadócia, click here and you will access a blog entry where I tell more about this topic.
If you want to know more about St. George and the dragon, Ogún, Jorge Ben Jor or the song Jorge da Capadócia, click here and you will access a blog entry where I tell more about this topic.
