The use of Italian painter Caravaggio’s work in Netflix’s , nominated for 13 Emmys, was no coincidence. The black-and-white show played heavily on light and shadow, something that the artist, known as “The Master of Light,” explored in his work. “Steve [Zaillian, showrunner] wanted to emphasize the play of light and shadow, not just in the world but also on people’s faces — the emotional reason why things wanted to [be felt] in monochrome,” says the show’s cinematographer, Robert Elswit, whose credits include and .
Elswit played with such contrast even further when showing the series’ main character, con man Tom Ripley (Andrew Scott), walking around churches in Italy. Churches, says Elswit, emit light through windows or from minimal overhead light fixtures, therefore casting a natural shadow on the world below them — a perfect fit for . One beautiful shot was when Ripley visits the San Luigi dei Francesi church in Rome, where three works of Caravaggio are famously housed.
Ripley inserts a coin in a coin box to illuminate the painting beyond it, which is something visitors do today. However, Elswit explains, the crew was not allowed to shoot at the actual church, so they re-created that particular element at a different, much larger church. “In the 17th century, there was no electricity,” explains Elswit about shooting the rest of the church scenes.
“You had the brightest day, but you couldn’t see the paintings well, so there must have been hundre.