St Jerome 1607 - 1611

Lazzaro Tavarone’s “St. Jerome” was created with pen and grey ink, heightened with white on grey paper. Here, the material support isn’t just a passive backdrop; the texture and tone of the paper become integral to the drawing itself. Look closely, and you’ll see how Tavarone uses the grey of the paper as a mid-tone, building up shadows with the ink and adding highlights with touches of white. It’s a subtractive process, in a way, revealing the image rather than simply constructing it. The pen work is confident, with energetic hatching that defines the form and creates a sense of movement. This drawing wasn’t made with any industrial materials but traditional and time-honored materials. It’s a testament to the enduring power of drawing, a practice that lies at the heart of so many other creative disciplines. It reminds us that even the simplest materials, in the hands of a skilled artist, can yield extraordinary results.