Fine Arts Critique: The Young Ribera at Capodimonte

Jusepe de Ribera – The Young Master in Naples

Countering the news of the Milanese exhibition dedicated to Artemisia Gentileschi, we report here on the Neapolitan exhibition dedicated to Jusepe de Ribera, known as Lo Spagnoletto. A powerful and intense exponent of 17th-century European painting before even being categorized as a "Caravaggist," Ribera’s work will be on public display from September 23, 2011, to January 8, 2012, at the Museo di Capodimonte under the title "The Young Ribera between Rome, Parma, and Naples 1608–1624."

While perhaps less known to the general public than Caravaggio or Gentileschi, Ribera is undeniably one of the greatest artists of all time. Where Caravaggio sometimes leans into a certain mannerism or "lezio" in his youthful faces or mature bodies, Ribera remains direct, sharp, and at times grim. His work is heavy with overflowing, highly expressive pictorial matter, placing him on a line of fierce, a-geographical expressionism that connects the spirit of Hieronymus Bosch to Antonin Artaud.

This perspective does not aim to overshadow the significant scholarship on 17th-century Neapolitan painting or Caravaggism. Indeed, Ribera’s work has recently gained renewed prominence thanks to the contributions of Nicola Spinosa, the Scientific Director of the exhibition (Ref. 1).

Following its presentation at the Museo del Prado in Madrid last spring, the Naples exhibition features 45 masterpieces from Ribera's youth—including 13 paintings not seen in the Spanish display. These works document his Roman activity and subsequent Neapolitan developments before his artistic maturity in 1624 (Ref. 2). According to Spinosa, the live comparison of these works reveals the vigorous personality of a "border artist" between Europe and the Mediterranean, clarifying the authorship of controversial canvases previously attributed to anonymous masters. It is a rare opportunity to uncover the cosmopolitan roots of early 17th-century Naples (Ref. 5).

The exhibition inauguration is set for Thursday, September 22, at 6:00 PM at the Museo's Sala Causa. [R. Daniele]

English References (Citations)

1. N. Spinosa, Seventeenth-Century Painting in Naples, 2 vols., ISBN: 978885690047, Arte'm, 2010.

2. Ministry of Cultural Heritage: Official event listing, Museo di Capodimonte.

3. Various Authors, The Young Ribera between Parma, Rome, and Naples 1608–1634, ed. Nicola Spinosa, Exhibition Catalogue, ISBN 978856901900, Arte'm, September 2011.

4. Arte'm Editorial: Official press release and scientific overview of the Ribera exhibition.