Although he studied under the painter Giulio Cesare Procaccini, who was noted for the idealized beauty of his work, Crespi was more influenced by the paintings of Giovanni Battista Crespi (Crespi, Giovanni Battista) (called Il Cerano, and to whom he was probably related), which led him to adopt the starkly realistic style of painting advocated by the Council of Trent (Trent, Council of) (1545–63). His best works, such as St. Charles Borromeo at Supper (c. 1628), are distinguished by harsh shadows set off by a raking overhead light.