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Emilia Nessuno's avatar

Profoundly understated and resonant. This painting beautifully depicts exactly what writing in its highest form should be: "an act of spiritual warfare".

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John Gawron's avatar

Accurate depection....Spiritual warfare. The halo although merely visible, signals to me that even translating can be Saintly. The skull indicates the preciousness of time and the nearness of death.

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Tom Kudla's avatar

"What’s striking is how little Caravaggio romanticizes the moment. There is no heavenly vision, no angels in attendance — only a sliver of a halo above Jerome’s head."

So true.

The avant-garde rendering of the halo... also, seen here, in Spaniard Francisco Zurbarán's work from the 1640s...

Zurbarán is sometimes referred to as the ‘Spanish Caravaggio’

https://tomkudla.substack.com/p/the-in-studio-fashion-fotos-of-franciso-zurbaran-taken-in-the-1640s

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