17th-century Caravaggio school

Caravaggist school; 17th century.
“Saint Jerome in His Study.”
Oil on canvas. Relined.
The painting’s surface has been restored.
Measurements: 120 x 156 cm.
This painting depicts Saint Jerome, but not in his study and not performing his penance. The artist presents a classical composition framed by a dark background that highlights the figure’s physical presence. Thus, the saint is depicted full-length, set off by the lighting and the intense crimson hue of his cloak. Noteworthy is the saint’s posture: he is deep in thought, reading the Bible, adjusting his glasses, and holding a page as if focusing his attention on a specific message and reflecting on it. Beside him, confined solely to the left side of the composition, one can see the skull typically depicted in such representations, all shrouded in a nuanced twilight—a feature that prevents these elements from being discerned at first glance, thereby allowing the figure of the saint, bathed in a warm luminosity, to take center stage.
The color palette and textural qualities reveal the influence of the 17th-century Italian Caravaggist school. The skillful use of chiaroscuro lends drama to the scene while naturally defining the space. The emphasis on expressiveness—both in the gesture and in the still life arranged on the table—is also a Caravaggist device. Stylistically, the work shows a clear influence from Caravaggio and the followers of his style, such as Nicolas Tournier (Montbéliard, 1590 –Toulouse, 1639), Orazio Borgianni (1578–1616), Cario Saraceni (1580–1620), and Bartolomeo Manfredi (1580–1620), among others. The theatrical use of a powerful spotlight, the combination of this strong lighting with areas of darkness, the use of diagonal lines, the depiction of subjects inspired by ordinary people, and realism were common characteristics in the work of the aforementioned painters. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, known as Caravaggio, was an Italian painter active in Rome, Naples, Malta, and Sicily between 1593 and 1610. His painting combines a realistic observation of the human figure—both physically and emotionally—with a dramatic use of light, which exerted a decisive influence on the development of Baroque painting. Caravaggio captured meticulous anatomical observation through a dramatic use of chiaroscuro that would come to be known as tenebrism. This technique became a dominant stylistic element, darkening the shadows and transforming objects into brilliant beams of light. He vividly depicted crucial moments and scenes, often involving violent struggles, torture, and death. He worked quickly with live models, dispensing with sketches to work directly on the canvas. His influence was profound on the new Baroque style that emerged from Mannerism and can be traced in the works of great masters such as Peter Paul Rubens, José de Ribera, Rembrandt, and Diego Velázquez, as well as in countless artists of the next generation, who—because they reflected his profound influence—were called “Caravaggists” or “Tenebrists.”