Background
He was born in Solsona, Lleida.
He was born in Solsona, Lleida.
Although his first apprenticeship was apparently with Navarrete, who worked for years in the Escorial, Ribalta"s earliest work (a Cruxifixion of 1582) was signed in Madrid. After his years in Madrid, Ribalta was to settle as an artist in Valencia. He became among the first followers in Spain of the austere tenebrist style of Caravaggio.
lieutenant is unclear if he directly visited either Rome or Naples, where Caravaggio"s style had many adherents.
Alternatively, it is likely that tenebrist paintings were available in Spain by the early 17th century through the Spanish rule of the Neapolitan kingdom. Jusepe de Ribera is said to have been one of his pupils, although it is entirely possible that Ribera acquired his tenebrism when he moved to Italy.