From Jedi to Gladiator

©Armand Serrano.
Back in 2001, I gave a talk at my kids school about animation. My daughter's classmates asked me to draw something Star Wars for them. So I did this quick sketch of Obi Wan and Darth Maul in a duel. I made copies and gave them to everyone in the class. Later, I was asked to join a union exhibit at the Orlando Museum of Art and my son proded me to paint that sketch. A Jedi duel was not exactly what I had in mind but I didn't want my son to feel bad either. So I compromised. I took the pose from the duel and turned them into gladiators in the arena. We both ended up happy with the result. I titled the artwork "Secutor and Retiarius". These are two different types of gladiators. A Secutor is known for it's fighting move which is to chase the opponent. It has a wide round helment with tiny eye holes. He wears either a leather or metal bands on his right arm and carries a short sword called the gladius. He also has a shield and leg guard. A Retiarius on the other hand is literally translated as the "net man" or a fisherman. He uses a trident and a net to catch and fight the opponent. Sometimes they use a neck guard and fights completely naked (don't want to be on that side!). This combination is a favorite in the arena. Anyway, the artwork made it to the exhibit together with two other gladiator paintings. This was done in oil on 22"x26" canvas (photo was enhanced in photoshop).