Curatorial Notes
Bartolomé Bermejo likely learned his meticulous oil-painting technique by studying Netherlandish works imported into his native Spain. Colored pigments become translucent when mixed with oil, necessitating many thin layers to be built up that result in rich colors, like the green jacquard lining this saint’s vestments, and radiant light effects, as seen in his jewel-encrusted miter. This captivating realism went hand in hand with a strategy in Netherlandish art called disguised symbolism, which imbued everyday objects with sacred meaning. Here, for example, the three-horned snail that appears as a decorative detail carved into the arm of the wooden seat is also a symbol of Christ’s Resurrection.
Artwork Identification
Title A Bishop Saint
Title (PT) Um Santo Bispo
Title (ES) Un Santo Obispo
Artist Bartolomé Bermejo
Artist Bio Bartolomé Bermejo (Bartolomé de Cárdenas; Spanish, documented 1468–c. 1501)
Date c. 1480
Work Type Painting
Location & Collection
Institution Art Institute of Chicago
Source View Museum Page
License Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0