Penitent St Jerome

The Penitence of St Jerome is a frequent theme within Renaissance art and in this example we see how German landscape painter, Albrecht Altdorfer, chooses to portray it.

Introduction

Altdorfer includes the details typically found in depictions of the Penitence of St Jerome, but also adapts the work into his own artistic style. The piece is dated to around 1507, but its current location is not currently known. Whilst famed for his landscapes, Altdorfer was able to incorporate religious and figurative art alongside to cover a variety of commissions.

Description

Saint Jerome is pictured centrally, in the foreground, which underlines his significance within the painting. A lion lies patiently by his side, looking in our direction. A garment is found on the left hand side, lying on a rock, which the saint would have removed prior to praying. He is pictured as a elderly man, with a long, grey beard.

Behind the saint, we find a set of mountains in the far distance, with a river snaking left and right. The sky is bright and blue, with healthy trees found in the foreground. The environment is clearly influenced by the artist's own local region in northern Europe, rather than the narrative around the saint. It is also noticeable as to the way he portrays the lion, suggesting that access to this animal at that time was not possible, leaving artists to work from verbal descriptions.

Altdorfer was Predominantly a Landscape Painter

Whilst covering this religious theme, the majority of the painting is in line with his reputation as predominantly a landscape painter, first and foremost. Other than the saint and the animal in the foreground, the rest of the scene is purely dedicated to the green tones of the Bavarian countryside. In the background is, again, the bright sky which allows light into the rest of the composition.

Another common feature used by Altdorfer was to frame his content using tall trees, particularly as most of his paintings were vertically designed. It was his drawings which followed the more standard layout for landscapes of being horizontal. Those would then use other methods to frame the main content within the scene. The artist would always choose fairly slim trees for the two sides to avoid them taking up too much space across the scene, something like a pine tree would have been ideal.

Common Theme

Saint Jerome, as with many other saints, have been covered by countless numbers of artists over the centuries, most frequently during the Renaissance. Religion was even more prevalent and intwined in society then than it is now and most of the donors would specifically request commissions that contained religious themes and iconography. They would not be general paintings but more likely a fresco to be placed in a specific part of a building.

Large Image

Penitent St Jerome in Detail Albrecht Altdorfer

Woodcuts of the Penitence of St Jerome

Albrecht Altdorfer produced a number of woodcuts designs based on the same topic, of the Penitence of St Jerome. Historical prints made directly from them exist in a number of major art collections, including The Met in the US. These designs differ considerably from the oil version, suggesting that the artist would plan his compositions with the medium very much in mind.

Saint Jerome in Penitence, in a Cave, The Met

Saint Jerome in Penitence, in a Renaissance Frame, The Met