Art Institute of Chicago

Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness

Adam Elsheimer (German, 1578–1610)

Date

c. 1605

Medium

Oil on copper

Culture

Germany

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Adam Elsheimer’s small paintings on copper show his remarkable ability to create imaginary, highly composed landscapes. On his arrival in Rome in 1600, Elsheimer was inspired by the city’s antique monuments and its extraordinary artistic environment. In this work, the wooded landscape teeming with wildlife is indebted to painting from Northern Europe, while the youthful saint echoes ancient Greek and Roman sculpture in a pose that reveals both his active mind and his physical strength. Though Elsheimer died in Rome at a relatively young age, his painting profoundly influenced his fellow artists, including Peter Paul Rubens .

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