Saint Christopher
Jusepe de Ribera·1637
Historical Context
Saint Christopher by Ribera, at the Prado, presents the giant Christ-bearer with the monumental physicality that Ribera brought to all his subjects. The massive figure wading through water with the Christ Child provides an ideal vehicle for Ribera's mastery of muscular anatomy. 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...
Technical Analysis
Christopher's enormous body is rendered with the powerful modeling that made Ribera the supreme painter of male physical presence in the Baroque. Every straining muscle and tendon is described with anatomical precision, the body's effort in carrying the divine burden made palpable through paint.
