Ripple Effect of Art with a message: "Herald Angel Dragon Slayer" by Aje Pelser

 

Allegorical artwork by Aje Pelser "Herald Angel Dragon Slayer." 

Mosaic of St George slaying the dragon over the entrance to the War Memorial Chapel, Bishops, Rondebosch, Cape Town. 




Herald Angel Dragon Slayer

An allegorical cubist work, oil on canvas by Aje Pelser

Arching over the entrance to the Memorial Chapel at Bishops, St George triumphs over the fabled dragon. The mosaic artwork always inspired me while I attended the school, as did all the iconography of the schools architecture .

Designed in the shape of a cross, the chapel is the spiritual heart of Diocesan College. When a thousand young men sing Psalms 150 and the organs pipes are declaring Gods greatness, it feels like the earth is shaking and anything is possible. No dragon can stand in the face of such unified purpose and resolve.

The school has survive the Anglo Boer War, the two World Wars, the struggle against apartheid and a transition of a nation, numerous threats to private school autonomy, global recessions and now, the Covid-19 pandemic.

The trumpet and the Herald Angel represent the prophecies of Revelation chapters 8 to 11 in the Bible. The plagues, devastation and the evil accompanying the pandemic is symbolized by the dragon that is being pierced by the sword of St George mounted on a dominant white horse reminiscent of the one John foresaw: of Christ riding triumphantly with his armies on his promised return.

The cubist movement in the early 20th century sought to deconstruct form into shapes. The use of cubist technologies helps to draw the viewer into the allegory and ask deeper questions. The extended lines and diagonals draw the eye across the allegorical expanse of the painting and bring a sense of victorious conclusion to the conflict.

Magenta under painting defines and highlights important moments and juxtapose the balance that the greys create. The chromatic greys are created with complimentary colours and interpret the shapes with contrasting cool and warm hues.

Where the windows of the Memorial Chapel glow in ochre yellows, we are reminded of the call to be the light of the world and to shine through the darkness for God as Bishops in His kingdom.

In a sense every learner that emerges from the gates of the chapel guarded by St George accepts the quest to become dragon slayers in their own right, wherever their paths may lead.

Comments

  1. Arthur Eiseb30 September 2021 at 03:39

    Hi Apostle Aje. This was good read and feel very encouraged.

    ReplyDelete

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