UCCELLO, Paolo
(b. 1397, Firenze, d. 1475, Firenze)

St George and the Dragon

c. 1470
Oil on canvas, 56 x 74 cm
National Gallery, London

The majority of art historians attribute to Paolo Uccello the two small paintings of St George and the Dragon (National Gallery, London and Musée Jacquemart-André, Paris). They confirm Paolo's talent in small-scale works and his ability as a lively and imaginative storyteller. In both cases, the foreshortening effects and the perspective models play a fundamental role; the graceful and elegant characters, the unreal lighting, and the careful description of all details are still very much like late Gothic narrative styles.