Everyone agrees that Leonardo da Vinci was a genius but many also say that he was a rebel, that he was not real Christian and follower of the Church. The artist loved to use symbols and allegories and he did it so masterfully that most had no clue of the real meaning of a painting at the time.
St. John in the Wilderness is another example of this. Even though the name of the work claims that the man in painting is the Baptist but several things show that he actually is the classical god of vine Bacchus.
The man is crowned with a laurel wreath, wearing a fur garment, carrying a staff and holding a bunch of grapes. The fur and the staff is attributes of St. John but the laurel wreath and grapes have no connection to him and also is not symbols of Christianity. Also the staff is without a cross as it usually is in interpretations of the Baptist. The way the fur garment is wrapped around the man and the surroundings are usually features of a mythical painting. In the background is another symbol that does not fit into religious work of art – the deer. It may be only a background but a deer is pagan symbol of gentleness and also a deer was often portrayed as a companion of classical gods. Another thing that might be or might not be true is that the man is pointing with his left hand to a spring holding the grapes in the same hand as to maybe hint us that together it would make vine.
In St. John in the Wilderness very noticeable is the perspective – the mountains in the background. By using lighter colours in the background and darker in front (the centre figure and the birch a bit further) da Vinci has created depth in his work.
Now the painting is at Musée du Louvre in Paris.
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