Guercino

Guercino, born Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, painted with bold, dramatic light and rich, warm colour in his early years, then moved toward a calmer, more classical style later in life. He was also one of the finest draughtsmen of the Baroque.

He was born in Cento in 1591 and was largely self taught, influenced by Ludovico Carracci. In Rome, under Pope Gregory XV, he painted the Aurora ceiling fresco in the Casino Ludovisi, with the goddess’s chariot bursting across the sky. His Et in Arcadia Ego, with two shepherds finding a skull, is in the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica in Rome. He later settled in Bologna, where he died in 1666.

His Aurora and And I Too Lived in Arcadia show both his drama and his poetic side.