Penitent Saint Jerome
Jusepe de Ribera·1652
Historical Context
Penitent Saint Jerome at the Prado, painted in 1652, is one of Ribera's latest surviving works. The aged, penitent Jerome in his wilderness setting was the subject Ribera returned to most consistently throughout his long career in Naples. Ribera painted his saints with unflinching naturalism rooted in his early study of Caravaggio's Rome before settling in Naples in 1616. Working under Spanish viceregal patronage, he produced devotional images combining brutal physical realism with profound s...
Technical Analysis
The late work shows a softer, more atmospheric treatment than Ribera's earlier harsh tenebrism. The aging Jerome's contemplative expression is rendered with characteristic empathetic naturalism.
