Jusepe de Ribera

This work by Callot’s contemporaries focus on the visceral, bodily suffering of Christian saints and of Christ. The direct presentation of the bodies of suffering or martyred saints fit the requirements of the Catholic Church for religious imagery. Images of martyrs were to be glorified and venerated because of the benefits they could bestow upon the faithful. Confronted with the moment of painful death, viewers could emotionally and sensually engage with the saint’s suffering and thereby remember their faith. In each of these three images, the artist has used architecture or a blank background to compress the space forward and thus intensify the psychological impact. The draftsman-like style of etching apparent in the Ribera and Vignon emphasizes the physical presence of the bodies.