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De Crayer's early style followed the 16th century tradition of Antwerp artists such as Marten de Vos and Hendrik de Clerck.  This style was characterized by an unnatural perspective and the crowding of long wooden figures in the foreground. From 1618, the painter came under the influence of Rubens.  The level of borrowing of motifs from Rubens suggests that he had some contract with the workshop of Rubens from which de Crayer might have drawn inspiration for some of his subjects and models. The influence is shown in a more monumental rendering of figures in more balanced compositions.Between 1638 and 1648 de Crayer's compositions started to display a lighter tonality and his figures became softer and more sentimental in appearance. This may have been influenced by the later work of Rubens. His work also showed a trace of the Venetian 16th-century masters, in particular Titian and Paolo Veronese. De Crayer, however, never visited Italy and he mostly knew their work through the prints of Agostino Carracci.
In later works, the influence of Caravaggio is also clear. De Crayer, who neither studied in nor visited Italy, had to reinterpret the Italians' approaches from secondary sources. The clearest influence on the Prado's Caritas, reportedly painted in early 1625, is that of Rubens.
Agostino Carracci Caravaggio Paolo Veronese Titian Marten de Vos Hendrik de Clerck