Kavety 1 Sangeetha Kavety Saint Jerome and His Study

!

In doing this essay I have learned a lot about the writing and revising process.

Revising the essay has proven to me to be a challenge that I can meet, but still a challenge. It has shown me how to develop a sense of style an cohesive argument. In this final draft, I think that my argument is better structured than my first draft, and that the writing is clearer and more straightforward. Perhaps it is not perfect but it strives towards that perfection.

Kavety 2 Sangeetha Kavety Professor Saskia Eubanks WR 100 FD 14 September 2010 Saint Jerome in His Study !

Historically, society has judged any piece of art as either good or bad.

Concerning religious art, Leo Tolstoy in his book What is Art? states: “Always, in all times and in all human societies, there has existed this religious consciousness, common to all people of the society, of what is good and what is bad, and it is this religious consciousness that determines the worth of the feelings conveyed by art” (Tolstoy 43). He implies that it is the average reaction towards the work of art, whether the public accepts it or not, that creates a sense of value for the piece. However, Albertiʼs definition of good art is that “the istoria will move the soul of the beholder when each man painted clearly shows the movement of his own soul” (Alberti, 77). In Tolstoyʼs definition, concerning religious art, if it fits the doctrine, the religious community accepts the piece and considers it “good” art; if not, then society rejects the work and declares it “bad” art. Joos van Cleveʼs “Saint Jerome in His Study” seems to go contrary to this rule. Tolstoyʼs classification of “good” and “bad” art seems to crumble at this piece due to its many layers of meanings that seem to go against one another in the same piece of art, although it does show clearly the contrasting views of religion that perhaps plagued the artist or subject. !

While a religious work, “Saint Jerome in His Study” incorporates some themes

that seem to contradict Christian dogma, yet it still hangs in the Fogg Museum

Kavety 3 alongside works of other renowned artists. The piece, painted in the Early to Middle Renaissance period, depicts a man at his writing desk, presumably the long deceased Saint Jerome. Saint Jerome is predominantly known for translating the Old Testament from the Hebrew text into Latin in the fourth century, whereas his predecessors has always used the Septuagint version of the Bible (Catholic Online). In van Cleveʼs painting, as in many others, Saint Jerome is portrayed as a cardinal in red robes at a writing desk. Unlike other portrayals, in this painting he does not have an open holy scripture or writing pad, but rather he appears to be pondering deeply about something. !

Obviously, Saint Jerome represents the Catholic Churchʼs ideas and beliefs, but

there is a lot of ambiguity in the other symbolism in the art. The painting does tell a story, which resonates with the viewer, as Alberti said successful art would (Alberti, 77). There is dynamic composition with the placement of the figures, as Saint Jerome is slightly off center, and there are several objects in the background that seem significant, including a carefree pastoral scene outside the window that seems to represent nature and that which is unconcerned about religious beliefs. This contrasts with the atmosphere inside, portrayed as more man-made and holy. The artist has placed the sculpture of the Jesus on the cross between a vase of flowers, again representing nature, and an oil lamp, representing manʼs engineering endeavors. The placement of the figure of Jesus may show the Christian belief that God is the bridge between nature and man. Saint Jerome also has a caged bird, seeming to represent manʼs attempts to try to capture nature for his own purposes. The snuffed out candle and the decaying skull seem to illustrate the transience of life and the human life span, along with the words respice finem (“behold the end”) and homo bulla (“man is a bubble”) (Museum

Kavety 4 Plaque). Contrasting with the roomʼs ornate decorations and extremely rich and vibrant colors, the main focus is on Saint Jeromeʼs facial expression, and the contrast of the holiness of the scene and seemingly non-Christian Pagan beliefs about nature. !

All of these things play a part in the evident frustration on Saint Jeromeʼs face.

On one hand, he has an open Holy Bible that he must translate into Latin; on the other, there are several reminders of the man-made and natural world that seem to be at odds with Christian scripture. Van Cleve has trapped Saint Jerome inside with all of these conflicting views that he must take into effect when working to resolve these vastly different points of view. Going along with the concept of istoria, this painting seems to want to move toward a state of equilibrium and less confusion than the current scene. The viewer may be able to relate to this as he or she may be experiencing the same doubts about religion or spirituality, which is what the piece was intended to do. !

Beyond just the differences between nature and man, there is also a sense that

Saint Jerome is trying to achieve some higher knowledge about the greater meaning of life. He is portrayed as an old man, with a full beard, perhaps signifying the multitude of experiences in his life. His expression seems to imply that not only does he worry for good fortune of others, but he also worries about his own chances at the afterlife. The bottle of liquid in the top right corner is either half full or half empty, symbolizing the ambiguity of the choice that could potentially lie in the future: Heaven or Hell. It could also symbolize the struggle between Christianity and Paganism, or even Saint Jeromeʼs own doubts about his faith. !

While I am not sure what the rating of this piece was at the time, inferring from

the fact that it is in decent condition at an art museum, I would assume that its reception

Kavety 5 was at least somewhat positive. With this in mind, it seems as if Tolstoyʼs assumption that the praise given to religious work determines the value of the artwork seems to be incorrect, and that Albertiʼs idea that good art tells a story applies much more to a particular piece than its social acceptance. The artwork itself is beautiful and very skillfully made, however, the subject matter may be a bit controversial - perhaps too controversial for Tolstoyʼs rule of determining “good” art from “bad” to apply. Perhaps there is more emphasis and aesthetic beauty, and storytelling, than Tolstoy admits for a piece of art to be “good”, rather than solely based on the pieceʼs reception.

Kavety 6

Kavety 7 Works Cited Alberti, Leon Battista. On Painting. Rev Ed ed. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1966. Print. "Early Renaissance Art." Hunt for Images. Huntfor.com, n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2010. Saint Jerome in His Study. Cambridge, MA: Fogg Museum, 2010. Museum Plaque.

Saltet, Louis. "St. Jerome." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 15 Sept. 2010 . "St. Jerome Doctor of the Church" Catholic Online. Catholic Online, n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2010. . Tolstoy, Leo. What Is Art?. New Ed ed. London: Penguin Classics, 1996. Print.