Saint Anthony the Abbot in the Wilderness Analysis Essay Example

Commissioned by the Sienese Martinozzi family and painted by Osservanza Master, Saint Anthony the Abbot in the Wilderness is one of multiple panels depicting the life of Saint Anthony the Abbot. The composition is of Saint Anthony on a path in a natural landscape surrounded by mountains with a few animals on off to the side of the path. In this essay I will discuss how this panel is a depiction of Saint Anthony’s dedication to God and his holy path despite temptation painted as an attempt to influence the viewer to follow in his footsteps.

In the foreground on the right is Saint Anthony, he is depicted as an old man with a long flowing gray beard. He has a cane tucked on his shoulder and he is wearing a dark black and grayish purple robe. He has an incredibly detailed halo on his head that is gold and a dark red. He is standing mildly off center on a path that descends all the way into the middle ground of the painting, twisting through mountains. There are rocks littered on the ground beside Saint Anthony on his path as well as two mountains positioned on each side of him. There is a deer behind him standing on the mountain on his right side. There is also a rabbit on the very bottom left-hand corner of the painting, Saint Anthony appears to be looking towards it with a fearful expression on his face. The foreground  of this  painting consists of colors with either a cool or neutral undertone to them. While the middle ground of the painting consists of colors that seem to have either a warm or red undertone. In the background of the painting, we see a patch of green slightly more chromatic and warmer than the more neutralized greens used in the foreground. While the path Saint Anthony stands on in the foreground seems to be traveling vertically, however once we reach the middle ground the path begins to shift and seems to move horizontally across the composition. At the end of the path in the middle ground a place of worship is depicted, there is also a bunny and gazelle located on both sides of the path.The architecture of the place of worship is reminiscent of Gothic architecture.  

In the background of the painting there are several mountains with very minimal detail and in the center of the green patch is a cross. Rather than the composition being very straight and linear it looks as if you can see the Earth curving. In fact, the clouds take on a very curved shape. The bottom of the sky is a peachy color like the building in the middle ground, as your eye rises the peach shade turns into a warm off-white color, until your eye reaches the top of the paper where the sky transitions into a light blue. The clouds are painted to reflect the colors of the sky and peeking through a bundle of clouds on the right gold begins to shine through. There are two birds flying towards the center left of the light blue section of the sky. 

The animals in this painting and their symbolic meanings aid in the representation of Saint Anthony evading temptation and remaining on a holy path. For instance, according to biblical symbolism gazelles may represent caution and evasiveness. In addition, the gazelle is located towards the very beginning of this path, placed near the front of the building that is either a church or temple. There is also a rabbit on the other side of the path, an animal that biblical interpretations represent as symbolic of abundance. Over indulgence and materialism can be considered a shadow aspect of indulgence. Therefore, it becomes clear the rabbit on one side of the path is representation of these material temptations and the gazelle on the other side is representation of SaintAnthony’s ability to avoid these temptations. In addition the horrified expression on Saint Anthony’s face while looking at the rabbit is more evidence that the rabbit is representative of these temptations. 

The deer in the foreground behind Saint Anthony is the animal closest to the path. The placement of the deer indicates that is closest to Saint Anthony’s current self, while rabbit is more of an example of what parts of him may reside in his subconscious and come to light if he were to cave into temptation. Deer tend to represent maintaining a dedication to God despite life on Earth. In fact Psalm 42:1 David states “As long as a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.” (5) 

There is an abundance of religious iconography throughout the painting, more evidence of how Saint Anthony’s journey is one of purity and holiness and reminders of why you should follow his example and what awaits for you if you do. For example, the depiction of Jesus on the cross in the background is a reminder of Jesus and his sacrifice. Jesus on the cross being shown as well as a place of worship are both symbols to remind the viewer to maintain dedication to their faith. In addition the gold  peaking through the clouds which alludes to the presence heaven, enacting as a reminder of where you will go if you maintain your dedication to this path. 

Elements of the composition also allude to Saint Anthony’s firmness. The further you get from Saint Anthony, the composition grows more fluid and chaotic. The clouds are curved and you can see the tilt of the Earth, while the ground besides Saint Anthony is more of a straight unmoving line, almost as it his firmness in his beliefs solidifies the ground around him. There are also several rocks littered on the ground throughout the path, acting as symbols of being solid and grounded. 

Commissions of religious narratives were very prominent forms of art given the time period, many people wanted reminders to remain dedicated to their faith. This painting is very clearly an example of that through telling the story of Saint Anthony. It becomes even more obvious that this image is elevating Saint Anthony into a holy figure you must aspire to become when taking the time to carefully look at the decisions made when choosing what other elements and symbols exist in the composition. From heaven showing through to rabbits as representations of temptation, it is clear Osservanza Master crafted this image to instill an awareness of the necessity of following Saint Anthony’s path. 

Bibliography 

1. “Gazelle Definition and Meaning - Bible Dictionary.” Biblestudytools.com, https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/gazelle/. 
2. “The Gazelle's Lightness of Foot.” Evangelical Focus, 3 Nov. 2021, https://evangelicalfocus.com/zoe/4737/the-gazelles-lightness-of-foot. 
3. Carter, Written by Lou, et al. “What Do Rabbits Symbolize? Rabbit Symbolism Meaning!” Rabbit Care Tips, 11 Aug. 2021, https://www.rabbitcaretips.com/what-do-rabbits-symbolize/
4. abarkley8, et al. “Signs & Symbols of the Bible (Deer).” jesusway4you.Com, 12 Nov. 2018, https://jesusway4you.com/2018/11/12/signs-symbols-of-the-bible-deer/comment-page-1/. 
5. -, Kristen M. Stanton, et al. “Deer Symbolism, Meanings & the Deer Spirit Animal.” UniGuide, 5 Aug. 2021, https://www.uniguide.com/deer-meaning-symbolism-spirit-animal-guide/#Deer_Symbolism_in_Christianity_and_the_Bible.