St. Jerome
c. 1591
Annibale Carracci captures St. Jerome in a moment of intense spiritual drama, gazing upward with a look of desperate devotion. Clutching a rock to strike his chest in penance, the saint is surrounded by the symbols of his scholarly and ascetic life: a stack of books and a skull serving as a *memento mori*. The intricate, scratchy lines create a wild, textured forest that seems to vibrate with energy. This piece showcases the artist's move toward the Baroque style, emphasizing raw emotion and rugged nature over the calm perfection of the Renaissance, making the saint feel like a real man in a real wilderness.