St. Jerome Hearing the Trumpet of the Last Judgment 1621

Editor: Here we have Jusepe de Ribera’s "St. Jerome Hearing the Trumpet of the Last Judgment" from 1621, a print made with engraving. The starkness of the lines and the dramatic pose give it a really intense, almost theatrical feel. What jumps out at you when you look at this piece? Curator: Theatre, yes, a brilliant observation! It reminds me of those Caravaggio paintings with the spotlight effect. And what a face! Poor old Jerome, yanked right out of his studies by some celestial reveille. It makes me wonder, what was Ribera trying to say about the life of a scholar? Is it ever really detached from the world, from judgment? The skull, the book... It's a meditation on mortality, isn't it? Maybe even a slightly sarcastic one. Editor: Sarcastic? That's not the first thing that comes to mind. It feels so...urgent. Curator: Urgency born from fear, perhaps? Or is it the kind of urgency you feel when you are behind on your thesis, haha! But think about it. Ribera was a rebel himself, always pushing boundaries. Could this be his little jab at the Church? “Even the holiest dude gets a rude awakening”? Or maybe, even harsher, does this reflect our own human desire for an "end date," rather than an appreciation for each evolving day? Editor: I see what you mean. It definitely adds another layer to how I interpreted it initially. I was just so focused on the surface drama of the scene. Curator: Isn’t it fabulous how art continues to shift with the light and shadows of our understanding. Keep watching... because that image will continue to reveal facets of yourself.