The Poet

Ribera settled in Naples in 1610 and adopted the tenebrist, or dark naturalistic style of Caravaggio (1571-1610). In the 1620s, during a "dark age" of his life when he produced few paintings, Ribera created eighteen etchings. He regarded these as equal to his oils or drawings, using them as a visual means to work out ideas. Here, a poet is crowned with a laurel wreath, emblematic of the victory and glory of literary attainment. Head and eyes downcast, the writer's somber, contemplative aspect seems to associate contemplation with melancholy, an attitude appropriate for Heraclitus, the Greek philosopher who bemoaned the miseries of mankind.