Intern Pick: Saint Onuphrius (1642), Jusepe de Ribera
Written by Sophia Plancich
Published on October 29, 2024
In my ongoing quest to better understand the Lowe Art Museum's collection, my intern pick for this week is Jusepe de Ribera’s Saint Onuphrius (1642). Residing in the Kress Gallery, which showcases the Art of Europe, this painting stands out amidst the surrounding Renaissance and Baroque works—a period adored by art historians and fellow enthusiasts like myself. Saint Onuphrius has always stirred feelings of longing, despair, and punishment for me. The neutral and warm tones used on the central figure, Saint Onuphrius, contrast the bleak, dark background, reminiscent of a cave. A distant, gray mountain peak, blanketed by an ominous sky, adds to the atmosphere of darkness. With his long, white beard and deeply furrowed expression, Saint Onuphrius clutches a rosary in prayer, his face painted with suffering.
The expression on his face draws me in, evoking a deep sympathy for what appears to be a punishment. It makes me wonder why he has been confined to such a dark and unforgiving place, long enough to grow a flowing white beard and wrinkles that allude to his hardship.
Jusepe de Ribera, who lived from 1591 to 1652, painted this piece in the final decade of his life. Born near Valencia, Spain, Ribera studied under Francisco Ribalta before journeying to Italy. His depiction of the human form as the focal point of his work reflects the Italian influence on his art. Ribera eventually settled in Naples, where he married the daughter of a Neapolitan painter, establishing himself as a significant figure in the art world of the time.
Much of Ribera’s works center on significant religious figures—saints, martyrs, or apostles—silhouetted against dark backgrounds, with the figures themselves rendered in a non-traditional manner for the time. In Saint Onuphrius, the central figure is a fourth-century hermit who renounced his royal heritage (as symbolized by the crown and scepter) to pursue a spiritual life of solitude in a cave. The wooden cross in the background and his tightly held wooden rosary beads symbolize his unwavering commitment to his faith. In Baroque art, piety is often depicted through hands clasped in prayer and a longing gaze—explaining the significant devotion portrayed by Saint Onuphrius’s pose.
During the Counter-Reformation between the 16th and early 17th centuries, this painting would have been seen as a testament to the spiritual rewards available to the devout. Saint Onuphrius is remembered as a Christian hermit, celebrated for his extreme piety and isolation in a quest for spiritual purity. The lengths he went to in achieving this purity are shocking to me but also symbolically iconic. In a time when intensity is often the driving force behind art and expression, it’s easy to lose sight of such extremes in the mundanity of modern life. Although the extremity of his path is far from ideal, I’m moved by his unyielding commitment to a goal—so much so that he gave up all material comforts to seclude himself in a cave.
Viewing this piece almost 400 years later, I can’t help but be touched by the profound dedication that led to a life of solitude and exclusion. The Cambridge Dictionary defines devotion simply as “loyalty and love,” and it’s clear that Saint Onuphrius felt an overwhelming devotion to his faith.
Rejecting his royal patrimony for the life of a hermit must have been the ultimate sacrifice in his time, giving up the privilege of living in the upper echelons of society to suffer in solitude, all in the name of faith. Ribera’s use of intense emotion, the luminous and expressive figure, and dramatic lighting evoke a visceral response in me—though whether it’s positive or negative, I can’t quite articulate it. The symbolic objects and composition weave together the spiritual and physical, representing the intense lengths one might go to in pursuit of spiritual fulfillment.
References:
Bannard, D. et al (2006) Lowe Art Museum: Selected Works. Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami. The Art of Europe (p. 40).
Dipippo, G. (2024) The Legend of St. Onuphrius. New Liturgical Movement. https://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2024/06/the-legend-of-st-onuphrius.html
“Jusepe de Ribera” (n.d.) National Gallery of Art. https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.5343.html#biography
“Saint Onuphrius” (n.d.) University of Miami Lowe Art Museum. https://emuseum.as.miami.edu/objects/1248/saint-onuphrius?ctx=97597ad8cfe667332f37db816011a406deec0f0d&idx=0
