Someone intolerable is being wrong on Twitter right now, but how about instead we look at art? It was Ribera’s birthday this week, so let’s start with his Martyrdom of St. Philip. 
Look at these guys on the side, casually shooting the shit as Philip gets strung up. Everyday life, cheek-and-jowl with unfathomable violence. That’s Ribera!
Two Saint Jeromes. The one on the left cane first and for a long time was recognized as a Ribera. It’s hard to describe how black Ribera’s black is. You have to see it in person.
Another common subject for Ribera is disability. The typical strategy for depicting disability in this period is to resort either to comedy (eg Brueghel)...
...or the grotesque (Metsys).
But not Ribera. There’s a dignity here, even if violence (future? past?) is still visible.
Because violence is ALWAYS present for Ribera. Even in his drawings and studies. Here’s one of mouths (apologies for the lighting, I’m in a dark room).
One more: his Saint Bartholomew. Just an old man with a knife and some cloth, right?
Look closer.
Look closer.
That’s a man! Specifically, it is the flayed, martyred Saint Bartholomew, but it is *also* a self-portrait of Ribera.
So then who’s the old bald man with the knife and the halo? ALSO BARTHOLOMEW.
Strange things are afoot, my friends.
Strange things are afoot, my friends.
Life and death, pain and endurance, broken bodies and unceasing movement. That’s Ribera! A blessing any day, but perhaps above all on days like these.
Oh dear. It *came* first, and for a long time was *not* recognized as a Ribera. Purchased for a song as a result, if I remember correctly. Now in Toronto! Canadians, go go go!
