De soirée (“Evening”), Romà Ribera

Link is to zoomable version on the Google Art Project; downloadable file on Wikimedia Commons, original is in the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya – MNAC, Barcelona.

Beautifully economical and richly painterly, Ribera’s portrayal of a young woman engaged in simple activity is a quiet captured moment.

It’s interesting to compare his handling of the face, hair and figure in this work to the softer handling in his painting, Woman in Evening Gown, which I featured in a previous Eye Candy post.

The Resurrection, Cecco del Caragaggio (Francesco Buoneri)

Link is to zoomable version on Google Art Project; downloadable version on Wikimedia Commons; original is in the Art Institute of Chicago.

One of Caravaggio’s most important assistants and pupils was known as Cecco del Caragaggio, more recently identified as Francesco Buoneri.

Though a number of works are attributed to him, this striking painting of the Resurrection is the only one assigned to his hand with certainty.

Buoneri evidently learned much from his master, from his command of the human form in foreshortening, to the dramatic chiaroscuro with which he pulls his figures from the background. He also mastered the depiction of armor and drapery, as well as the textures of clothing, fur and feathers.

Though the composition seems a bit oddly “stacked”, the individual figures are immensely strong. The faces of the angel and the soldiers guarding the tomb are marvels of expression.