German furniture designer Konstantin Grcic has designed five chairs revolving around the spatial dynamics exhibited in St Jerome in his Study, a 1475 painting by Antonello da Messina. His exhibition, called Hieronymus (Greek and Latin for “Jerome”), is currently on display at Galerie Kreo in Paris.

When looking at St. Jerome in his Study, it’s clear that his specialized space, which he used to translate the Bible into Latin, has been ergonomically refined with precision to his needs. Everything, from the angle of the writing desk to the height and placement of shelving, create easy ergonomic access and allow light to illuminate this desk. St. Jerome, while in his study in 4th Century A.D., was in fact one of the first people to read silently. This perhaps says a lot about the man and the thoughtful design around him. Without getting carried way into deeper analysis, it is the chair and its contextual relationships that ultimately captured Grcic’s imagination.

In Hieronymus, Grcic aims to embody and amplify this sense of tailored physical intimacy. Each chair comprises different materials that range from fiber cement, aluminum, marble, anodised aluminum, and plastics used for 3-D printing.

Despite their open nature, Grcic’s chairs convey a sense of privacy, encouraging occupants like St. Jerome to engage in a similar approach to solitude. Each chair achieves this through cuboid cuts, staggered ledges, angular seating, and specific places to rest ones feet.

This year, Grcic is also celebrating 25 years of working alongside fellow German furniture design firm ClassiCon. Meanwhile, another exhibition of his chairs, Mingx, is on show at the Salone del Mobile 2016 in Milan. This time, though, Gricic takes influence from ancient furniture design.

Hieronymus runs from through to July 14, 2016, at Galerie Kreo, Paris.