Giovanni Francesco called Guercino Barbieri

Despite the nickname Guercino, meaning ‘squinter’, Giovanni Francesco Barbieri was one of the most visionary Italian painters of the seventeenth century. Mainly self-taught, he was nevertheless influenced by the art of Ludovico and Annibale Carracci. Guercino was based in his native Cento, a small town in Emilia and from there his reputation grew quickly throughout the Italian peninsula. Pope Gregory XV called him to Rome in 1621 to execute many important commissions such as the ceiling of the Casino Ludovisi. During his Roman stay his style, which up until then was strongly naturalistic, bathed in powerful darks and lights, became clearer and more classical. In 1642 Guercino settled in Bologna where he became the most important painter of the city, receiving many commissions from abroad, especially from France. Guercino was doubtless the most prolific draftsman of the seventeenth century. The free handling and strong emotion displayed in his drawings makes them desirable even today.