Saint Luke the Evangelist

The sculptural depiction of Saint Luke the Evangelist serves as a specimen of Late Baroque sacred plastic art from the Lviv school of sculpture. Portrayed seated, the symmetrically dynamic figure of the saint is captured in a moment of creative inspiration. In his left hand, an open book is held – an indispensable attribute of his iconography – whilst his right arm is extended outwards in a soft, natural gesture. Peerable beneath the saint is the head of an ox – the traditional iconographic symbol of Saint Luke, which personifies the sacrificial death of Christ.
The extraordinarily expressive modelling of the garments stands as a distinctive feature of the sculpture. The master employed deep undercut incisions in the rendering of the drapery, which heightens the interplay of light and shadow. The fabric does not merely cascade downwards; it is animated by its own dynamic movement. Exceptional detailing is evident in the modelling of the saint's face: the deep furrows of horizontal wrinkles upon the forehead, a focused gaze from beneath the brow, a voluminous textured beard, and wavy hair are all realistically rendered.
The well-executed anatomy lends a sense of earthly materiality to the image, counterbalancing the mystical shimmer of the gold. The contrast between the pristine whiteness of the flesh tones and the tumultuous, dynamic ocean of Baroque drapery folds creates a sublime, solemn, and simultaneously profound spiritual image of the Evangelist.

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery