Georgina de Malena

Saint Georgina is an adaptation of a popular Spanish tale called "Saint George".

In this version, the story takes place in Thysdrus, El Djem, around 200AD.The tale follows Georgina de Malena, a former centurion banished from her city for failing to defeat a menacing beast. Forced to fight in the coliseum, Georgina's life takes an unexpected turn when she encounters a chained woman, recognizing a mark on her skin. Determined to protect the woman, Georgina faces off against the coliseum's owner and a formidable beast.

Georgina did not yield, seeking to fulfill her duty as a protector. During the battle, the gladiator managed to wound the creature and from its wounds a new life was born, little by little filling the arena with grass and flowers. After an arduous and long battle that excited the entire coliseum, Georgina emerged victorious.

Georgina approached the lifeless body of the creature, retrieving a white rose that is touched by a drop of the beast's blood. This significant moment leads her to approach the captive woman, offering the rose as a gesture of loyalty and servitude.

As the owner of the coliseum intervenes, he is taken aback by the unforeseen turn of events. The woman, named Galla de Tarraconesis, reveals herself as the Aragon's senator daughter, commanding the owner to release Georgina and take them to their homeland. The owner reluctantly agrees, granting their freedom.

Throughout their journey, Georgina and Galla's bond deepens, blossoming into a forbidden love. Returning home, Galla breaks free from her family and chooses to live with her beloved Georgina, disguising their relationship under the pretense of master and slave. The field of roses they cultivate serves as a constant reminder that no beast or man can stand in the way of their destined love.

The Romans had different and very defined classes of gladiators. Because of that, I tried to stick to simple designs but with more weapons/protections to make it more of a fair fight.

I thought that Georgina's face needed to be different from the common Romans. This is mainly because it added more weight to the need of her wearing a helmet to hide what could be an attractive face (as the Romans saw blonde/pale/light eyed people "exotic") but also a disliked one (because of the face scars or tattoos). 

When Georgina is in combat, she appears confident but cautious.  When we find her alone or with Galla, she allows herself to relax and let her emotions out. I wanted to try and make this change of attitude noticeable in her facial expressions and body language.

Originally I thought of making a render that had pieces missing for the sake of storytelling, but we finally agreed on a more equipped Georgina that is more than ready for battle.

You can see all of those changes here!

I hope you liked it as much as I liked working on it. Stay tunned for other parts of the project and more!

Huge thanks to my teachers Elias and Gerard and my colleagues,  I wouldn't have made it without your  all support.