Recreating St. Thomas - Jusepe de Ribera

Jusepe Ribera, St. Thomas 1630 - 1635.

Jusepe Ribera, St. Thomas 1630 - 1635.

Jusepe de Ribera (1591-1652) was a Spanish-Italian Tenebrist painter and printmaker. His early biographers generally rank him among the followers of Caravaggio. Ribera’s series of Apostles portraits became very popular during the Counter-reformation. They were usually half-length figures against a neutral background, holding their iconographical attributes.

In his depiction of the doubting apostle Saint Thomas, he holds the spear that he was martyred with near Madras. The portrait inspired a recent sitting for my Selah project, with Actor Tony Amendola. Tony boasts a noble profile, sitting for me several times over the past few years, he is one of my favourite subjects.

Tony Amendola (St. Thomas) Rory Lewis Photographer 2019

Tony Amendola (St. Thomas) Rory Lewis Photographer 2019

In search of a spear I simply visited Home Depot, purchasing a broom stick, the robe, a blanket from TJ Max. To me it’s all about keeping things simple. Describing the character of St Thomas, I wanted Tony to believe he was at the end of a long journey. Working for a short time, we managed to capture a series of very powerful portraits, directing Tony to hold a plain yet purposeful expression. I really enjoyed the sitting. My Selah project is really coming along.