Original artwork description:

DEUS LO VULT. GOD WILLS IT
2018
59,1 (h) x 47,2 (w) x 0,8 in
150 (h) x 120 (w) x 2 cm
acrylic and oil on canvas

This painting is inspired by the history of the medieval Crusades. These Crusades were a series of religious wars between Christians and Muslims started primarily to secure control of holy sites in the Eastern Mediterranean considered sacred by both groups. Eight major Crusade expeditions occurred between 1096 and 1291. Deus lo vult ("God wills it") - variants Deus le volt, Dieux el volt, Deus vult - is a Catholic motto associated with the Crusades, more specifically with the First Crusade of 1096–1099. The phrase appears in the Vulgate translation of the Christian Bible. “Deus lo vult” was the battle cry of the First Crusade. When the Princes Crusade gathered in Amalfi in the late summer of 1096 (beginning of the First crusade), there assembled a large number of crusaders, armed and bearing the sign of the cross on their right shoulders or on their backs, crying in unison "Deus lo vult, deus lo vult!” The battle cry is again mentioned in the context of the capture of Antioch on 3 June 1098.

It all started with the speech of Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont on November 27, 1095, when he called to arms for the First Crusade (with the capture of Jerusalem and the establishment of the Kingdom of Jerusalem): “Pope Urban uplifted uplifted his eyes to heaven and gave thanks to God and, with his hand commanding silence, said: Most beloved brethren, today is manifest in you what the Lord says in the Gospel, ‘Where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them.’ Unless the Lord God had been present in your spirits, all of you would not have uttered the same cry. For, although the cry issued from numerous mouths, yet the origin of the cry was one. Therefore I say to you that God, who implanted this in your breasts, has drawn it forth from you. Let this then be your war-cry in combats, because this word is given to you by God. When an armed attack is made upon the enemy, let this one cry be raised by all the soldiers of God: It is the will of God! It is the will of God!”
~ Robert the Monk (Gesta Francorum, 1120)

This fight between the Orient and Occident, between (Roman Catholic) Christianity and Islam has a long history. What I know: those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it (Winston Churchill). Only the deeper knowledge of the past enables a peaceful tomorrow. This fact includes the attempt of understanding individual medieval environment, motivation and set of beliefs. Beyond all question historical narratives of the Era of Crusades offer us stories of humility, courage, creed, and hope and inspired romance, philosophy, and literature by accounts of heroism, chivalry, and piety. Emotions mixed with their unshakeable belief in God that motivated kings, knights, servants and ordinary people to “Take the Cross”.

* * *

This painting is also part of the triptych THE FAITHFUL AND THE FALLEN (also available here at Artfinder) and offers an aesthetic and colourful impression on your wall AND as my authentic and personal artwork an artistic subsurface message. For further information and more photos please visit the page of the triptych at Artfinder.

I use exclusively oil and acrylic colours, canvas and wooden frames in a professional museum quality. The paintings wears my signature on the front and is signed, entitled and dated on the backside. Deliberately the sides are not part of the painting and show the black-painted canvas (beautiful contrast). The painting is ready to hang (on the backside: high-quality iron plates with metal inserts and nylon rope for gallery use), unframed and doesn’t need a frame or any additional surface treatment. The piece will be safely shipped in a custom wooden crate. It will be accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and a cover letter.

Please note: In context pictures are not necessarily to scale and are for illustrative purposes only. If you have any questions about this artwork or any other piece, feel free to contact me and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

Thanks so much for taking an interest in my work.

Warm wishes,
Christian

Materials used:

acrylic and oil on canvas

Tags: