The painting by Vicente Carducho, called The Stigmatization of St. Francis is an aesthetically pleasing way to tell a story about the life of St. Francis, a priest from the 13^th century, and an amazing event that greatly influenced him. According to records, St. Francis is the first person to ever experience the phenomenon of stigmatization, which happened to him in 1224 (Mystical Stigmata). This affliction is the painful experience of having marks that are similar to the wounds that Christ received when he was crucified. These are usually holes in the hands or feet, which bleed at onset, but eventually cease. There is medical evidence that suggests the blood that seeps from these wounds is not always of the same blood type as the person who is suffering. It is considered a great religious honor to be inflicted with these holes, therefore St. Francis was respected even more so because of the scars that stayed with him for the rest of his life (Mystical Stigmata). Carducho’s painting succeeded in telling the story of the event, and also how the news of it was spread. More significantly, however, he successfully portrays St. Francis as a figure of Christ. A person who has been stigmatized represents Jesus in a way; and therefore, to help accentuate this symbolization, Vicente Carducho used extremely subtle details to help convey St. Francis a symbol is Christ.

St. Francis was one of the many religious figures that Vicente Craducho painted. In fact, he painted Europe’s largest collection of monastic paintings for Carthusian monastery nearby Segovia. He also worked for King Philip II, decorating the Escorial Palace with his religious paintings. Carducho was born in Italy around the year 1576 and died about fifty years later around 1638. He is thought to have painted The Stigmatization of St. Francis between the tears 1610 and 1630 (Ackland). He was and still is very widely respected for his contributions to art and religious storytelling through painting.

            Considering Carducho’s paintings were created to be observed by many people, he made it relatively large at 64 ¼ inches x 47 inches. This also gives Carducho some room to provide intricate details in a variety of different places. The first noticeable object on this painting is the actual figure of St. Francis; his bleeding hands reaching out and up towards the sky. The figure of St. Francis is the most focused image on this painting: we can see the stitching in his robe and the detailed lines of his face and hands. His figure is also the most noticeable because it is the brightest; the backdrop behind St. Francis, which takes up almost the entire painting, is darker. We see that the spot where St. Francis is sitting is illuminated, while the rest of the painting seems to be in shadow. This is the first signal that suggests St. Francis has an intimate connection with God, because he is separated from everyone else by the light coming from above. However, we haven’t noticed where the light is coming from yet. St. Francis’ face will be the signal for us to look towards the light. Despite the fact that his hands have been punctured with the wounds of Christ, his face does not evoke a sense of horror or pain. The face on St. Francis is one of absolute captivation. This face intrigues the reader to find where St. Francis is looking, which is essential to suggesting St. Francis’ connection with God.

            When one first glances at the painting, the bright light which appears to be the sun in the left corner of the drawing is noticeable, but not captivating enough to focus on first. As previously mentioned, however, the details on St. Francis’ face force the observers to examine the bright light shining down onto the scene. When one looks at the image of the sun close enough, there is an angelical male figure bursting from the flames of yellow. The painting does not make it clear whether or not this figure is just in front of the sun, or the flames are light coming through from heaven with the figure. The figure is a vision of a six winged seraph that St. Francis claimed to have seen on Monte La Verna in the Appennine Mountains in the year 1224, which is the image we see in the painting (Ackland). This seraph accompanied the appearance of Christ’s wounds that stayed with him for the rest of his life. Therefore, we see why the artist would want the audience to see the hands of St. Francis and the seraph in quick succession, because they are intricately united.

            It is also essential to notice that there are thin, almost translucent lines coming from the seraph’s light going towards St. Francis. One line, however, is more important than the rest. There is a light that passes right above St. Francis’ head, which, at first glance, seems to be another one of the rays coming from the seraph. However, at closer examination, it is clear that this line circles around St. Francis’ head, forming a halo-like image. This added imagery is another way for Carducho to express that St. Francis had an intimate connection with God, and was more than just a man. Also above St. Francis’ head is a branch with small leaves creeping from between two boulders. This branch is only significant because it is directly above St. Francis’ head, which could have been included to resemble or remind the audience of the mock crown that was put on Jesus’ head for his crucifixion. This is another way to compare St. Francis stigmatization with Jesus’ body on the cross.

            After one recognizes St. Francis and his vision, the next most prominent object is the figure of another man holding a book and pointing upwards, as if in thought or expression. Although out of focus, the man stands out because he is directly under the seraph’s light, and also because Carducho set his figure against a light blue sky. This is the only corner of the painting where the sky is shown, because the rest of the backdrop is devoted to darker rocks and boulders, which make the sky stand out even more. This man is Brother Leo, who was with St. Francis on Mount La Verna during his vision. He was the man who witnessed and recorded this amazing event and preached it to the people for the rest of his life, which would suggest why he is holding a book (St. Francis of Assisi). Brother Leo was most likely not holding a book when he and St. Francis were praying. However, by placing him with a book, Carducho makes it clear that this is Brother Leo observing the event, preparing to spread the news of its occurrence.  

            Through object placement, subtle imagery, color contrast, and image focusing, Vicente Carducho successfully portrays St. Francis as a symbolization of Jesus Christ on the cross. When one looks at this painting, they not only see the story of St. Francis being stigmatized, but it is also easy to believe in the event, because of Carducho’s techniques. One also sees how and by whom the word was spread. Through previously mentioned tactics, Carducho is also able to make St. Francis resemble the figure of the crucified Jesus, which defines the idea of stigmatization.