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Brother Gregorio Belo of Vicenza
Artist: Lorenzo Lotto (Italian, Venice ca. 1480–1556 Loreto)
Date: 1547Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 34 3/8 x 28 in. (87.3 x 71.1 cm)
PRESENTATION BY NATHANIEL ARON (LEADER), ANTHONY NAPPI,
ANGELINA IZZO, TANG TANG
FraGregorio,amemberoftheorderoftheHieronymites,orPoorHermitsofSaintJerome,satfortheartist—asnotedinhisaccountbook—
inDecember1546andthepaintingwascompletedthefollowingyear.LottoknewmembersofthisorderinVeniceandinneighboringTreviso,andwasprobablyin
harmonywiththeirevangelicalfervorandideals.Thefriarisinthehabitoftheorderandhisgesture,beatinghischest,alludestoSaint
Jerome.HereadstheHomiliesofSaintGregorytheGreat,probablyintheeditionpublishedinVenicein1543.ThesewouldhaveledhimtomeditateontheCrucifixion,showninthe
backgroundinavignetteofdeeply-feltemotion
The brother makes direct contact with his audience with
out-of-convergent eyes shadowed by lowered eyebrows.With slightly pursed lips
held tightly together, and his furrowed brow,
this painting clearly portraysconcentration and determination.
Themaninthisportraitisclencinghisrightfist,pressingitagainthimselfinemulationofSaint
Jerome,whosepenanceinvolvedpoundinghischestwitharock. AsamemberoftheorderoftheHieronymites (PoorHermitsofSaintJerome),Gregoriooptedtobeportrayedwiththeattributesofthesainthevenerated,takingonJerome’sbehaviorandattire. Theplacementofthebrightlylitfiston
thehorizontalmidlineofthepicture,alongwiththehigh-valueverticalsliverofwhitesleeveborderingit,underscoresthe
centralityofthishand’sactiontothemeaningofthepainting.
Alsolyingonthecomposition’shorizontalmidline,Gregorio’sotherhandholdsopenasmallbook,whichhasbeenidentifiedasthebrother’sname-saint
GregorytheGreat’s HomiliesontheGospels. Thehandiscradledbythearccreatedbyasleeveedgepaintedwiththehighestvaluepigmentonthecanvas,directingtheeyetothebook
aboveit.
Thebrotherleansonalargebrown-graystoneblockonwhichisinscribedhisnameandthedateofthework,anadditional
referencetothesitter’srock-solidfaithanddevotion.
IntheupperleftofthepaintingthereisthesceneofChriststillnailedtohiscross. Summarilypaintedwithsmall
daubsofmostlybrightcolor,thefiguresof
Mary,MaryMagdaleneandSaintJohntheBaptistparticipateinthisiconicscene
Inavalleyformedbyoutcroppingsofbarerock,deadtreesarealongeachsideoftheopenedbook,acommentonitscontents. Bycontrast,treesareelsewhereinfullleaf,andvegetationcoversmostoftheturf. To
therightofthecrossasaplingbendsatanangleparalleltothehead,andlightshrubberyonthecrestofthehilljusttotherightofhisleftearmimicsthetuftsofhaironhishead,anexampleofthehumorousnoteoftendiscoverablein
Lotto’spictures.
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