Pieter Coecke Van Aelst Analysis

This oil painting was commissioned in the year 1530 by an artist known as Pieter Coecke van Aelst. Aelst was a Belgium artist and was about 28 years of age when he crated Saint Jerome in His Study. Aelst was on a high during the 16th century in the Netherlands. He was a court painter for both the Holy Roman Emperor, and for Mary of Hungary. Saint Jerome in His Study is a good sized panel oil painting showing St. Jerome thinking in his room on what to do next or what to learn next. St. Jerome is the greatest Christian scholar of the classics for his translation of the Greek and Hebrew Bible into Latin. You can see on his desk that he has the Greek Bible on the bottom and next to it placed vertical you see the Hebrew Bible. (Aelst, 1530). He
This phrase comes from “Vivere disce, Cogita Mori” which in full translates to “Learn to live, remember death” (Dictionary, 2008). After researching the sign, “learn to live, remember death” the skull be in relation to that saying. St. Jerome might be in deep thought considering his scholarly background, and his passion for learning and knowledge. We see on his right his book is open to a painting, and I believe the name of that piece is the Last Judgement. I believe The hourglass and melted and unlit candle, and other objects found on his desk are just other reminders of the passage of time and the life after death. Overall, this oil painting has a lot going on, and there is a lot to take in. Shadows, Aelst drew shadows with the light to be behind the viewer on the left. However, the window on the left has light coming through, additionally, in the window in the back the sun is in the back top left. I assume the photo St. Jerome is looking at is The Last Judgement because a lot of the small details including the sign on the wall, the skull, the candle, the hour glass all represent a small part and the hourglass and candle really portray the imminence of