Involving some thirty soldiers, horses, saints, and angels, this commission gave full rein to our penchant for visual drama. The resulting depiction pays tribute to the teenage mystic’s bold faith, heroic devotion to her mission, and ultimate spiritual triumph despite earthly adversity and even execution.
A highly universalized and symbolic depiction of the celestial realm features tumbling cherubs and Joan’s special patrons, the Archangel Michael and St. Catherine of Alexandria, all bathed in an ethereal light and shimmering with idealized perfection. Below, a detachment of foot-sore infantrymen, the “thousand-yard stare” in their eyes and stubble on their chins, trudges through a dreary landscape. The emphasis here is on the particularity of the individuals, the details of their torn, dirty, and sweat-stained uniforms having been carefully researched. Joan, who alone has access to the vision of heavenly glory, acts as the visual bridge between the two realms. The mud-caked hooves of her horse are firmly planted on the road, while her radiant face is illumined by celestial light as she glances upward to the martyr’s crown of victory that awaits her.
Capps, George and Polly. Maid of Orleans.
Oil on canvas. 72″ H.
Giclée prints available.
