John Dunn

Tintoretto’s St George

Under the heading Eros in the Mythology.

St George here represents the victory of Love over Demiurgic evil.

The dragon’s victim, lying dead, is the crucified Jesus. The dragon, symbolic of the murderers of Jesus, is slaughtered by the thrusting spear of the hero, whilst the Queen of Heaven, Mother of Jesus, symbolic of all goodness and purity, runs free. The bright heavenly light in the sky gives divine blessing for the deed, and serves as a halo over the saint.

At an individual level the image stands for the transformation of the self, awakened by an encounter with Love; the restoration of the creative and intuitive “I” in a state of active endeavour.

At a societal level, it stands for the freeing of the innocent from the grip of Tyranny.

At a spiritual level, it stands for the light of the Logos entering the world.

Consider the words of Silesius:

“I know that without me no God can live; were I brought to naught, he would of necessity have to give up the ghost.”.

These words seem to support the view that the endeavour is all, i.e. it is within the human endeavour that God, i.e. the Logos lives. It might be said that the endeavour is the Logos. Above all, St George stands for human endeavour.

St George enters combat under the cosmic banner of the vivifying sun, symbol of love and creativity.

© John Dunn.