St. Francis

Mixed Media on Canvas
30in. x 48in.

Michael Pensatore’s St. Francis is a work of contrasts. The yin/yang composition juxtaposes not just positive and negative space, but solid, flat scenery in the painting’s background with large, trompe l’oeil plants in the foreground.
The line quality, the stark, thick lines interweaving with thin and delicate ones, gives rise to a bold image that exudes lush color. This particular style resembles a synthesis of medieval stained glass and Japanese Pop Art. Like the subjects of medieval stained glass, this is an allegorical piece.
His culturally hybridized Lemuria series is a metaphor for the universal connectedness of mankind to each other and to nature/ the cosmos.
The composition is derived from the ratio phi also known as the divine proportion (1.68...). The extreme asymmetry represents duality. The plein-air effect signifies God. The implementation of the divine ratio within the composition symbolizes unity/ samadhi/ oneness.