MuseScope.
Guercino

Guercino

1591–1666 · Papal States · Baroque

The story

Giovanni Francesco Barbieri had a squint, a cast in one eye, and it followed him through life as a name: everyone called him Guercino, the squinter. Largely self-taught in the small town of Cento, he arrived in Rome in 1621 as a natural talent with a gift for drama.

His moment came fast. For the new pope, Gregory XV, he painted the 'Aurora' ceiling in a garden casino, opening the sky so convincingly that the goddess of dawn seems to drive her chariot straight over the viewer's head, the painted architecture melting into real space. It is early Baroque illusion at full stretch, dark, warm, and daring.

When the pope died in 1623 Guercino went back to Cento and, over the years, cooled his style, trading the deep shadows and bold foreshortening for clearer light and calmer poses closer to his rival Guido Reni. He ran a busy, well-organised workshop and kept careful account books, which survive and still tell us what he charged for each commission.

Standing in front of it? Point your camera. Get the app.

Works

42 works
Saint Matthew and the AngelSaint Matthew and the AngelGuercino, 1622Saint PeterSaint PeterGuercino, 1623Saint Peter Raising TabithaSaint Peter Raising TabithaGuercino, 1618Saint Peter Weeping before the VirginSaint Peter Weeping before the VirginGuercino, 1647Saint SebastianSaint SebastianGuercino, 1652Saul Attacking DavidSaul Attacking DavidGuercino, 1646Semiramis Receiving Word of the Revolt of BabylonSemiramis Receiving Word of the Revolt of BabylonGuercino, 1624St. Francis in Ecstasy with St. Benedict and an AngelSt. Francis in Ecstasy with St. Benedict and an AngelGuercino, 1620Susanna and the EldersSusanna and the EldersGuercino, 1617The Burial of Saint PetronillaThe Burial of Saint PetronillaGuercino, 1622The Cumaean Sibyl with a PuttoThe Cumaean Sibyl with a PuttoGuercino, 1651The Incredulity of Saint ThomasThe Incredulity of Saint ThomasGuercino, 1621The Persian SibylThe Persian SibylGuercino, 1647The Return of the Prodigal SonThe Return of the Prodigal SonGuercino, 1617The Return of the Prodigal SonThe Return of the Prodigal SonGuercino, 1627The Samian Sibyl with a PuttoThe Samian Sibyl with a PuttoGuercino, 1651The Vision of Saint JeromeThe Vision of Saint JeromeGuercino, 1619