Jusepe de Ribera was a miraculous painter of the male body. Not the heroic, ideal, muscular body of antique sculpture (though he could and did produce that). He was a painter of bloodshot, weeping eyes, of ageing muscles, filthy fingers, snaggle teeth and tousled hair; of leathery arms, double chins, protruding ears, sagging skins and tans that stop abruptly at the neck. He also liked to paint crumpled paper, torn rags, animal pelt and onion skin – all kinds of skin-like things, in fact.
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