The Story
oˈannis o xryˈsostomos]; Latin: Ioannes Chrysostomus, Ecclesiastical Latin: [joˈannes kriˈzɔstomus]; c. 347 – 14 September 407) was a Church Father who served as Archbishop of Constantinople. He is known for his preaching and public speaking, his Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, and his ascetic sensibilities. He is honored as a saint in the Catholic, and Eastern churches, as well as in some others.
The Eastern Orthodox, together with the Byzantine Catholics, hold him in special regard as one of the Three Holy Hierarchs (alongside Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nazianzus). Along with them and Athanasius of Alexandria he is also regarded by the Catholic Church as one of the four Great Greek Church Fathers.
Executed in engraving, measuring Image: 25.4 x 20.2 cm (10 x 7 15/16 in.); Sheet: 25.4 x 20.2 cm (10 x 7 15/16 in.), the surface rewards close looking. Lucas Cranach builds the composition through layered glazes and a tightly controlled palette, letting cool shadows recede so that the warm, lit passages step forward. The brushwork shifts from the precise to the almost dissolved — a hallmark of mature Baroque practice.
“A silence so complete it becomes its own witness.”
