Penitent Saint Peter
1628/32
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
126.5 × 97 cm (49 3/4 × 38 1/4 in.); Framed: 150.2 × 121.3 × 7 cm (59 1/8 × 47 3/4 × 2 3/4 in.)
Classification
oil on canvas
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
120172
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Emerging from darkness into a blaze of light falling from heaven, Saint Peter’s enraptured upward expression and gesture here suggest a moment of spiritual dialogue as he grapples with his bitter remorse for having denied that he is a follower of Christ. Jusepe de Ribera was born near Valencia, Spain, but worked in Italy, in Rome from about 1612 until 1613, when the influence of the painter Caravaggio was at its height, then in Naples from 1616. In Naples, which was then under Spanish rule, he ...
About the Artist
Jusepe de Ribera · 1590–1652
Ribera is considered one of the most important figures in European painting in the 17th century and the Counter-Reformation. He was Spanish, but spent nearly his entire career in Italy. He was initially influenced by followers of Caravaggio who were active in Rome; he later incorporated stylistic innovations of Venice and Flanders in his own highly personal compositions.