ABSTRACT
Ribera was born in Jativa (Valencia) in 1591, and nothing is known about his youth and artistic training until 1615, when his presence is documented in Rome, It has often been said, although without any real evidence, that he was Ribalta's pupil in Valencia, and it is quite possible that such was the case, since Ribalta was then the most prestigious painter in that city and was head of a large workshop. In The Sense of Taste, one may find most of the characteristics that are associated with Ribera's painting: a tactile realism in the depiction of volumes and surfaces, an intense chiaroscuro, and great gestural expressiveness. But his painting technique, in which the brushwork is smooth and even, still lacks the liveliness and variation in density that he would soon develop.
