The use of Italian painter Caravaggio’s work in Netflix’s limited series Ripley, 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 Boogie Nights and The Night Of.
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…