Getty Museum
Saint Paul
Creator
Giovanni Girolamo SavoldoItalian Artist · 1480–1548
All works by this person →Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo was also called Girolamo da Brescia, which means from Brescia, Italy. Since he is not known to have lived in the northern Italian town of Brescia, the term probably indicates his family origin. Due to the lack of information about him, scholars have struggled to determine his training and the source of his style. Upon Savoldo's death, his only known student, Paolo Pino, c
More on Getty ULAN- Date
- 1533
- Medium
- Black, white and red chalk, on blue paper; top corners trimmed
- Culture
- Italian
- Department
- Drawings
- Institution
- Getty Museum
Using the dramatic effects of chiaroscuro, Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo created a brooding image of Saint Paul. To do this, he used a combination of black, white, and red chalk on blue paper--the paper favored by most Venetian artists during the 1500s and 1600s. As Saint Paul gazes down, the light touches his broad forehead, nose, and ear, showing his furrowed brow, gaunt cheeks, and thinning hair with forceful naturalism. His beard and mustache seem to absorb the light, obscuring his deeply shadowed mouth, neck, and shoulders. Set against a darkened background, the saint's head seems to rise out of the gloom. Although early church documents describe Paul as being short, bald, and ungainly, Savoldo gave him a sense of quiet dignity appropriate to one of the founders of the Christian Church
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