Giovanni Baglione

Giovanni Baglione was a Roman painter of the early Baroque and one of Caravaggio’s rivals. His paintings are mostly religious, with some mythologies, and in his early career he borrowed Caravaggio’s dramatic light and realistic figures.

Born in Rome, he worked mainly in the city, painting altarpieces for churches including St Peter’s, and spent a period as a court artist in Mantua. He was knighted by the Pope in 1606 and was a long-serving member of the Accademia di San Luca. His quarrel with Caravaggio led to a libel suit in 1603.

Today he is best remembered as a writer: his Lives of the painters, sculptors and architects of 1642 is a key source on artists working in Rome. His Ecstasy of Saint Francis is in the Art Institute of Chicago. Look for the strong contrast of light and shadow in his early works.