Guercino

Guercino, real name Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (1591-1666), Italian painter of the Bolognese school, born in Cento, near Bologna. Influenced by Lodovico Carracci in Bologna and the work of Titian in Venice, Guercino (Italian, “squint-eyed”) developed a baroque style marked by rich color, strong contrasts of light and dark, and large movement. Under the patronage of Pope Gregory XV, Guercino painted the Aurora fresco (1621, Villa Ludovisi, Rome) and other, more classical works, such as the Burial of St. Petronilla (1621, Capitoline Museum, Rome). After Gregory's death in 1623, Guercino lived in Cento. He moved to Bologna in 1642 to succeed Guido Reni as head of the Bolognese school. In attempting to imitate Reni's calm classicism, Guercino lost much force in his work but gained refinement and firmness as, for example, in St. Thomas Aquinas (1663, San Domenico, Bologna). Earlier works, such as Death of Dido (1630, Spada Gallery, Rome) and Christ at the Column (1657, Palazzo Odescalchi, Rome), show more fire.