Saint Julia
Saint Julia was reportedly a Christian slave girl who was overcome and crucified by pagans. Her master had pulled their ship to an island in order to partake in a heathen ritual there, and when the governor of the place could not induce her to sacrifice to their gods he tortured and crucified her instead.
I had long since worked out my composition and ideas for this painting by the time that I actually executed it. My initial interest in the subject relates to my fascination with crucified figures. One peculiarity of it is the presence of a crucified female. Another is that I have combined the crucifixion and the occurence of the pagan festival, and so there is that odd combination of events. The festival was given a bit of a Mardi Gras sort of appearance, which allowed me to indulge in my fascination with costuming and carnival masks as well. Another detail of this that I like is the translucent quality of Julia's dress.