Galileo lost in a garden

Chapter 3 The Secret Life of Paintings R. Foster & P. Tudor-Craig

Introduction: St. George and the Dragon by Paolo Uccello

Compared to the previous painting of chancellor Rollin and Mary, this painting receives a lengthy introduction. At first it might be tempting to say the painting of St. George is less a product of fancy because the characters are more knowable, but this is not true. It involves myth and almost entirely fancy. The scene with chancellor Rollin was a commission that mythologised himself while st. George is gently steeped with time and was probably unaware of the future his life would form.

We learn that this painting is somewhat quirky and incorporates ideas of mythical dragon slayers that came from outside of the Christian sources of his day: the dragon is slayed in the eye, there are strange clouds and a forest, and peculiarly the dragon has a manicured garden out side his lair.

The book is not interested in retelling the story of st. George but does so very briefly. We also get background information about the world his myth flourished in. He was a widely popular symbol for the Middle Ages, and one that was embraced by warring societies. He was said to have been championed by crusaders giving a religious stamp to their violence.

The garden fascinates the writers and the believe it to reference a maze. This might be a stretch from my perspective. And speaking of perspective Uccello was fascinated with it in his work, and he also admired mathematics. In my view the parterre garden maybe a transition from the nature imagery above George and the non-living, motionless cave. The idea of a parterre garden interest me and I read else where that these gardens often used patterns that decorate the house and extend them to nature as well.

This looks like the meat of the analysis of the painting. The remaining sections are brief and focus on particular things like the time it was made a a section that highlights the Kaiden's clothes. 

What is Epic Theater? Illuminations Walter Benjamin

The Plot

Benjamin examines an epics plot and from this realizes it is not so much about the passage of time. I was thinking he was referring to a form.
 

Since the story has no definite shape but is told from stories familiar to us we are then interested in the details of certain things rather then the suspense of how the story ends. Although I am baffled by his reference to a Brecht play about Galileo; it makes no sense to me.