Saint Thomas

Thomas Aquinas is one of the most famous theologians of Christian dogma, philosopher, Christian saint, and Dominican monk. He is the patron saint of all Catholic universities and other educational institutions. Iconographically, he can be recognised by his characteristic Dominican habit and eloquent attributes – the sun on his chest and a book. It is in this hypostasis that Saint Thomas is represented in the sculptural image from the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The dynamic perspective of the saint's figure is captured in intense tension in the S-shaped silhouette (figura serpentinata) that dominates Baroque plastics. The theatrical pose of the saint – with his head bowed – is characterised by the great emotionality and realism of the image; the sculptor reproduced the details of facial expressions in detail. The Dominican habit of Saint Tomas is covered with draperies formed by large planes of geometric shapes intersected by sharp lines and creating an expressive movement around the figure.

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery