Saint Jerome in the Wilderness 1586 - 1596

Curator: This is Annibale Carracci's "Saint Jerome in the Wilderness," created sometime between 1586 and 1596. Editor: Oh, the saint looks properly anguished. Such fine lines digging into the page to conjure all that grief. I can almost hear his groans echoing in this little print. Curator: Yes, and consider that Carracci would have had to meticulously etch those lines into a metal plate. The reproduction of images in prints like this facilitated wider distribution of both religious iconography and Carracci's own style. We see Jerome in his characteristic setting, surrounded by the symbols of his scholarship and penitence. Editor: Those symbols tell a powerful story. A book to represent Jerome’s translation of the Bible, a skull as a memento mori, the crucifix... he's practically beating himself up over here. Talk about performance art! It makes me think, is it really humility if everyone can see how humble you are? Curator: Perhaps. But prints also allowed artists to market their skills beyond painting commissions. These images could be collected and studied, influencing other artists. Look at the composition – a landscape used as a framing backdrop for a figure. It’s really about staging. Editor: Right, staging that inner drama. See how his gaze lifts? As if to ask: is all this worth it? Is all the study and denial adding up to something? You can’t help feeling it with him – I feel the urge to scream sometimes staring at all these blank canvases. Curator: Well, such affective capabilities had immense value within Counter-Reformation art practices. The faithful would contemplate Jerome’s penitence and thus reinforce faith. Plus, we get to observe Carracci’s method of communicating religious themes in economical formats. Editor: True, and this relatively 'cheap' reproducible piece also carries an incredibly personal story, one that's clearly influenced countless artists through history. Talk about maximum impact for minimal means! Curator: Indeed. "Saint Jerome in the Wilderness" presents an intriguing case study for analyzing art production and religious art distribution. Editor: Makes you wonder about the 'wildnerness' each of us has to wander in, with our own skulls and scriptures, doesn't it? Heavy, and somehow still uplifting.