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.