Jusepe de Ribera was born in Játiva, in the Spanish kingdom of Valencia, in 1591. His early artistic training remains uncertain.
Ribera traveled to Italy while still young. He is documented in Parma in 1611 and subsequently worked in Rome, where he encountered the powerful naturalism associated with Caravaggio and his followers.
By 1615 Ribera was part of the community of foreign painters working in Rome. His early Italian paintings demonstrate an increasing interest in ordinary human models, strong contrasts between light and darkness, and direct observation of physical appearance.
In 1616 Ribera moved to Naples. He married Caterina Azzolino, daughter of the painter Giovanni Bernardino Azzolino, and remained in Naples for the rest of his life.
Naples was then governed by Spanish viceroys. Ribera's Spanish identity and his connections with the viceregal court helped bring him important patrons.
He frequently emphasized his origins in his signatures and became widely known as Lo Spagnoletto, meaning the Little Spaniard.
Ribera developed into one of the leading painters of seventeenth-century Naples. His patrons included Spanish officials, religious institutions, collectors, and members of the aristocracy.
Religious subjects formed a major part of his production. He painted apostles, prophets, hermits, saints, martyrs, and scenes from both the Old and New Testaments.
His early mature work is characterized by dramatic contrasts between illuminated figures and dark backgrounds. The influence of Caravaggio is particularly evident in Ribera's use of ordinary-looking models and his close observation of aged or weathered bodies.
Ribera became especially famous for representations of physical suffering. Martyrdoms, penitents, and wounded bodies allowed him to explore both the physical reality of pain and the spiritual response of the person enduring it.
His style did not remain unchanged. During the 1630s and 1640s his palette often became lighter and more varied. His paintings increasingly incorporated broader landscapes and influences from Venetian and other Italian traditions.
Ribera was also an accomplished draftsman and printmaker. His etchings helped circulate his compositions and contributed to his international reputation.
Works sent from Naples to Spain made him highly influential among Spanish painters. King Philip IV accumulated a particularly large collection of his paintings.
Illness affected Ribera during his later years and reduced his ability to work at his previous pace. Assistants increasingly participated in the production of his workshop.
Ribera nevertheless continued to receive important commissions. His later religious paintings demonstrate a broader range of color and often a quieter emotional character than some of his earlier works.
He died in Naples in 1652. His combination of Caravaggesque naturalism, intense observation of the human body, and deeply felt religious imagery made him one of the most influential painters working in seventeenth-century Naples.