St. Jerome in the Desert 1509

Lorenzo Lotto painted Saint Jerome in the Desert in Italy sometime around the early 16th century. Jerome was known for translating the Bible into Latin, so you often see him depicted with books. But look closer. This isn’t a comfortable scholar safe in his study. Lotto’s Jerome sits in the wilderness: a rugged, rocky landscape. He is accompanied by a lion, the animal with which he is associated through a popular story. But notice his expression: he seems troubled and disturbed. The figure of Jerome was often used in Renaissance Italy to promote the values of the church. But, at the time this was painted, the church was under pressure, and the way people thought about religion was changing. To understand this painting better, we can explore these historical contexts through letters, sermons, and other documents of the period. Understanding art always means understanding the world that produced it.