STYLITE, ANGEL AND RUINS OF THE GREEK THEATRE

Visiting Syracuse, among the many monuments I was particularly fascinated by the magical, deeply evocative atmosphere that a sensitive soul and lover of ancient things clearly perceives when finding themselves in that place. A few years later I wanted to use this magnificent setting as a perspective space to set a painting on the theme of the “stylites”, ascetics who chose to isolate themselves on top of a column (stylos - στῦλος), like the proto-Christian “holy men” of the first centuries after Christ who installed themselves on top of Roman ruins. The Stylite has an ecstatic smile and an angel watches over her and assists her from the top of a higher column.
I haven't painted the painting yet, but this life-size sketch is practically ready to be transferred to canvas and pictorially reworked in color.
S.B.