Saint Jerome in His Study, ca. 1513 – 1515

About the Work

This painting by the Venetian painter Vincenzo Catena is characterised by the emphasis on the representation of space and the lack of an active narrative. As a result, the depicted objects appear almost like elements in a still life. The Church Father Jerome is shown not writing but engrossed in his reading, his head supported by his bent arm. Analogous to the concept of the picture as a window onto the world, the space has been laid out using central perspective, and is not a "study" but is opened up through the view into the landscape, in front of which the Crucifix rises in silhouette.