Saint John the Evangelist
Jusepe de Ribera·1607
Historical Context
Saint John the Evangelist in the Louvre, painted around 1607, is attributed to Ribera's very earliest period. The apostle's youthful face and inspired expression represent the beloved disciple who witnessed Christ's ministry and wrote the fourth Gospel. Ribera painted his saints with unflinching naturalism rooted in his early study of Caravaggio's Rome before settling in Naples in 1616. Working under Spanish viceregal patronage, he produced devotional images combining brutal physical realism ...
Technical Analysis
The youthful evangelist is dramatically lit against a dark background. The early Caravaggesque manner establishes the tenebrism that would characterize Ribera's career.
