The Winged Ox by Garry Rutter
The painting is of the Winged Ox in honour of St Luke, our church patron and one of my personal patrons.
St Luke is one of the four evangelists, writers of the four gospels. In the book of Revelation the four are depicted as being four creatures with wings before the throne of God. Matthew is the man, Mark is the lion, Luke is the Ox and John the eagle. Luke is the patron saint of artists, physicians, bachelors, surgeons, students and butchers amongst other things.
St Luke was probably a Greek-Syrian gentile and close friend and disciple of St Paul and was purportedly with him at his martyrdom in Rome. Luke survived Paul and lived into his 80s. It is suggested he was martyred too by being hung from and olive tree. His tomb was in Thebes in Greece near the place of his death but now only contains a single rib, his skull is in St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague and the rest of his body is in the Abbey of Santa Giustina in Padua. Luke was an educated man who it is widely held wrote the gospel of Luke, the book of Acts and maybe even a little of the book of Hebrews. It is said by Paul elsewhere in the New Testament that Luke was a physician by profession. He was also celebrated as an artist and is by tradition the first painter of an icon, painting Mary the Mother and also Peter and Paul from life. The original icons attributed to him were held in Constantinople but were lost when the Turks invaded the city. Several icons are now claimed to be the originals but all icons of the virgin and child in the style of the Hodegetria (Jesus sitting on his mother’s knee and both looking out at the viewer not hugging - you know the one) can be said to be descended from Luke’s original.
Luke is a figure who I find endlessly encouraging and to whom I relate massively. I’ve read Luke and Acts more times than any other part of the bible relating to the factual story telling. His detailed research in putting together the accounts is inspirational. As an artist I’ve prayed to St Luke asking for his intercessions, as I’ve made icons, pursued my adventures at college and university doing an art degree and as I make work now.