Giovanni Guercino Italian Baroque artist Date of Birth: 08.02.1591 Country: Italy

Biography of Giovanni Guercino

Giovanni Guercino (1591–1666), an Italian Baroque artist, was born as Giovanni Francesco Barbieri in Cento near Bologna on February 8, 1591. He developed a broad, "painterly" Baroque style in his monumental altarpieces, such as The Martyrdom of St. Peter (Modena, museum), The Ecstasy of St. Francis (Louvre), The Return of the Prodigal Son (Turin, museum), and St. William of Aquitaine Receives the Monastic Habit (Bologna, gallery). Guercino's paintings are closely related to the art of Caravaggio: irrational lighting, dark and somber backgrounds, large figures, and commoner types. As a follower of Lodovico Carracci, he actively employed the romantic chiaroscuro that softened the sculptural precision of form.
Early Career and Influences

From 1617 to 1621, Guercino lived in Bologna, where he painted some of his most outstanding works. In his monumental altarpieces, such as The Martyrdom of St. Peter (Modena, museum), The Ecstasy of St. Francis (Louvre), The Return of the Prodigal Son (Turin, museum), and St. William of Aquitaine Receives the Monastic Habit (Bologna, gallery), Guercino developed a wide, "painterly" Baroque style. The structure of form dissolves in streams of light, emphasizing protruding parts and leaving everything else immersed in impenetrable shadow; movements are directed diagonally into the depth of the unrestricted space of the painting; asymmetric composition and rich Venetian coloration enhance the overall dramatic effect. In 1618, Guercino visited Venice, where he was greatly impressed by the works of Tintoretto and Jacopo Bassano. In 1621, he arrived in Rome and painted the famous fresco Aurora at the Ludovisi Casino, executed in the tradition of brilliant Venetian colorism. However, Roman classicism exerted a restraining influence on Guercino's Baroque style. His monumental altarpiece The Burial of St. Petronilla (Rome, Capitoline Museums) demonstrates a greater balance and completeness of composition.
Later Years and Legacy

In 1623, Guercino returned to Cento. His palette began to lighten, and his energetic Baroque style transformed towards classicism, especially under the influence of the Bolognese artist Guido Reni. After Reni's death in 1642, Guercino inherited his position as director of the Bolognese Academy. The style of his later works became more conventional, for example, in paintings such as The Apparition of the Virgin to St. Bruno (Bologna, gallery) and The Cumaean Sibyl (1651, London, Magon Gallery). Guercino died in Bologna on December 22, 1666.