San Matteo

This depiction of the evangelist while he is preparing or continuing to write the pages of his famous book is powerful. De Ribera, called Spagnoletto for his short stature, is an artist of great importance, a point of connection between Italy and Spain. He absorbs the lesson of Caravaggio, but interprets them according to typical methods of Iberia, planting seeds that will later be followed by painters after him. His long stay in Naples, even during his illness and until his death, allowed him to produce a very abundant and then increasingly small opus. In the work that we see here, the physicality of the saint is connected to his spiritual tension, while the scarce elements around him, illuminated by an almost unnatural light, serve to underline every moment of the inner drama experienced by the one whose task it is to tell the story of Christ. For example, the reddish cloak, which encircles and separates him, is magnificent. Thus, both the artistic career of Spagnoletto and the particular rendering of this masterpiece unfold in a fruitful relationship between light and shadow.