In Campo De' Fiore in Rome there is a hooded statue of the philosopher Giordano Bruno, who was accused of heresy for theorising on the infinity of the universe and suggesting that the sun iytself moved. He was burnt at the stake on 17 February 1600.
The statue suggested the pose for this figure, painted over five warm days at an art programme at the nearby Rome Art Centre of the University of Washington.
An American guest at my house in Dublin set up a surprise moment by sitting under this painting in exactly the same pose!
oil on linen canvas, 60 x 50 cm
© Fergus A Ryan, 2017
Available for purchase from the studio (see For Collectors)