Francis of Assisi

$600.00

Completed: Feast of St. Francis, October 4, 2019
Dimensions: 29 1/2″ x 21 1/2″
Edition Size 150 Prints
PaperSomerset Enhanced 330 GSM (Archival 100% Cotton-Rag Paper)
Media Giclee Fine Art Print 

Description

Francis looks out to the distance in wonder, through dense foliage and over green hills to faraway towns. He welcomes the morning with his brothers and sisters, the colorful animals of the forest, and he contemplates our place in creation.

Bordering the central image are 24 scenes depicting a visual biography of Francis’s life. The scenes show Francis caring for nature and all creation, helping and empowering people on their journeys through life.

Swanson saw Francis as a human who struggled–a man who sought ways to give help to others. For him, Francis was a hero, a mentor, and a spiritual companion. Francis’s life shows us the potential we all posses to do the extraordinary.

FRANCIS OF ASSISI – Personal History of the Image
In the early 1970s, I visited the Frick Museum in New York City and saw Giovanni Bellini’s 15th century masterpiece, St. Francis in Ecstasy. I was inspired by the artwork and created many small sketches and drawings. Through the 1970s and into the early 1980s, I made many paintings of St Francis in nature. From June, 1985 to August, 1985, I printed a limited edition, six-color lithograph at Efram Wolff Studio, which I called FRANCIS OF ASSISI. Many years later, I reexamined the pastel colored lithograph, and decided to further refine the artwork. Using one of the lithograph prints as an underpainting, I painted on top of the work adding more colors and details. The artwork became one of my most elaborate paintings, Francis of Assisi (Painting, 1999). The painting is now in the permanent collection of Emory University’s Candler School of Theology.I wanted to make the artwork available for more people to enjoy, and I wanted to further refine the work. In May of 2019, I began to gather materials; photos of the painting and scans of the lithograph, in order to create a new giclee based on the earlier artwork. From May through September, we combined patterns from the 1985 lithograph with details from the 1999 painting, as well as many new drawings, refining the image. The colors were further intensified and enhanced, and line-work was refined. In consideration of all the reimagining, reworking, and time it took me, I feel I have given my best to this artwork. I approved the giclee edition on September 25, 2019, and announced it on October 4, 2019 – The Feast of St Francis.

 

 

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Preparing and Printing
Lithograph
1985

 

Study For Lithograph
Watercolor

 

Printing at Efram Wolff
Lithograph
1985

 

Color Correcting at Efram Wolff
Lithograph
1985

 

 

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Lithograph to Giclee
1985-2019

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Lithograph
1985

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Painting
1999

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Giclee
2019

 

 

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Details of The Canticle
Lithograph to Giclee
1985-2019

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Detail from Lithograph
1985

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Detail from Painting
1999

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Detail from Giclee
2019

 

 

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Details of Francis and the Birds
Lithograph to Giclee
1985-2019

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Detail from Lithograph
1985

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Detail from Painting
1999

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Detail from Giclee
2019

 

 

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Details of Francis Listens to the Fish
Lithograph to Giclee
1985-2019

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Detail from Lithograph
1985

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Detail from Painting
1999

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Detail from Giclee
2019

 

 

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Details of Francis and the Wolf
Lithograph to Giclee
1985-2019

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Detail from Lithograph
1985

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Detail from Painting
1999

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Detail from Giclee
2019

 

 

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Related
Francis
Artworks

 

FRANCIS AND THE BIRDS
Giclee
April 20, 2015

 

FRANCIS Listens to the Fish
Giclee
December 3, 2018

 

FRANCIS AND THE WOLF
Serigraph
2002

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI- Giclee Details

 

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Giclee, 2019
Center Image:

Francis Greets
All Creation

 


 


 


 

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Giclee, 2019
Border Details:

Prosperous Family,
Off to War, and
Cloak for a Beggar

 


 


 


 

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Giclee, 2019
Border Details:

Begs for Alms,
The Leper, and
Renounces Worldly Goods

 


 


 


 

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Giclee, 2019
Border Details:

Solitude,
Troubadour, and
Followers

 


 


 


 

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Giclee, 2019
Border Details:

Wolf of Gubbio,
Visiting the Sick, and
Preaching to Fish

 


 


 


 

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Giclee, 2019
Border Details:

Visiting Prisoners,
The Birds, and
Feeding the Hungry

 


 


 


 

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Giclee, 2019
Border Details:

Brother Donkey,
Peacemaker, and
Welcoming Homeless

 


 


 


 

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Giclee, 2019
Border Details:

Freeing the Birds,
Caring for Orphans, and
Sister Clare

 


 


 


 

 

FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Giclee, 2019
Border Details:

The Vision,
The Canticle, and
The Passing of Francis

 


 


 

 

Additional information

Weight 3 lbs
Dimensions 36 × 7 × 7 in