The Penance of Saint John Chrysostom

Description

The Penance of Saint John Chrysostom is an engraving by Albrecht Dürer made around 1496. A woman and child occupy the foreground beneath a rocky outcrop, while the penitent saint appears as a much smaller figure in the landscape. The arrangement gives the scene an unexpected balance: the subject named in the title is set at a distance from the figures that first draw the eye.

Rocks, vegetation and distant architecture create a richly worked setting around the human forms. Dürer’s engraved lines distinguish the softness of the figures from the harder surfaces of the terrain. The contrast between the close maternal group and the remote penitent invites the viewer to explore the scene gradually, discovering its religious narrative within a detailed landscape.