Guercino

The Elegant Boroque Painter –Guercino

Introduction

Guercino, his original name being Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, also known as il Guercino, was born on February 8, 1591. This Italian painter was an eminent Baroque painter. He was also a draftsman in Emilia Rome and Bologna. Most of his career details have been well documented in the Libro Dei Conti Di Casa Barbieri book. He was a light-hearted and naturalistic painter and drawer. He lived his artist career indulged in creating breathtaking masterpieces still used for inspiration by modern artists.

Early Life

Guercino was born in a village named Cento to a farmer of peasant farmers. He was cross-eyed hence the name Guercino, which means squinter in Italian. He did not officially learn to paint and do art from an art school or so. When he was 16, he worked in the shop of a painter named Benedetta Gennari, where he self-taught himself. When he moved to Bologna, his artwork was praised by Ludovico Carracci, another Italian Baroque painter. He highly inspired Guercino.

Famous Artworks

The painting style of this famous baroque painter is lively and luminous, with a natural feel to it. Ludovico Carracci’s artworks inspired him. During his career as a painter, he has produced more than 250+ spectacular art pieces. He has also created almost 106 large church altarpieces and around 144 random paintings.

His creativity did not stop there. Being a skilled draftsman, he created amazing drawings from washed ink and red chalks as well. His drawings were defined with rapid calligraphy strokes, which he made use of while creating landscape drawings. Most of his works have a religious aspect to them.

Although, in the late 1620s, his art style changed slightly, with him inclining more towards lighter tones. Some of his famous artworks include "A Donor Presented to the Virgin" (1616), "The Dead Christ Mourned by Two Angels" (1617-18), and the list goes on. One can find most of Guercino's paintings in the Royal Library of Windsor Castle, including landscapes and Caricatures.

His Death

Guercino passed away on December 22, 1666. He had started to keep account of his works in the 'Libro de Contin' since 1629. He had never favored traveling, and although he did not marry, he found pleasure in spending time with his family. After the death of this baroque master, his nephews and pupils overtook his shop and estate. He worked hard to teach them various painting techniques till the very end.