Page:Biographical catalogue of the principal Italian painters.djvu/48

BAEBIERI— BAROCCL 17 called, from his squint, II Gtjebcino da Cento, where he was bora, Feb. 2, 1592; he died at Bologna, Dec. 22, 1666. Bolognese School. Guercino was a follower, not a pnpil, of the Garracci. He was self-taught; his father used to carry wood to the towns, and carried Guercino with him: in these visits Guercino educated himself. He studied some time at Bologna and Venice, and then repaired to Borne, where he seems to have been influenced by the works of Michelangelo da Gara- vaggio. He returned to Cento in 1623, remained there for twenty years, until the death of Guido, when he removed to Bologna: he died rich. Guercino is distinguished from Guido Heni by his greater vigour and power of ex- pression, and generally much greater force of shadow. He had three dif- ferent styles; his early manner is characterised by this depth of shadow, as in his model, Caravaggio; he became one of the most decided of the so-called Tenebrosi (so called from the inordinate prevalence of dark tints); this style is conspicuous for strong general effect. His second style is distinguished by less violent contrasts, a more delicate colouring, and more select design. In his third manner he endeavoured to imitate the delicate style of Guido, and lost in so doing his own original vigour of ex- pression, colour, and chiaroscuro, and degenerated into insipidity and senti- mentalism, the bane of many of Guido's pictures. The works of Guer- cino are extremely numerous, his larger pictures alone amounting to 250, of which 106 are altar-pieces. He also etched a few plates. Works, Cento, church of Santo Spi- rito, and other churches. Bologna, gallery of the Academy, St. William of Aquitaine, kneeling before St. Ber- nard, assuming the garb of a monk; and the Virgin appearing to San Bruno. Eome, Spada Gall., the Last Moments of Dido ; Capitol, Sta.. Petronilla (Guer- cino's master-piece) ; Villa Ludovisi, the Aurora; Vatican, Incredulity of St. Thomas. Florence, Pitd Palace, St. Pet^ raising Tabitha. Piacenza, Cu- pola of cathedral, frescoes. Genoa, Pa- lazzo Brignole Sale, Cleopatra; the Virgin Enthroned; and others. Fer- rara. Cathedral, St. Lawrence. St. Petersburg, Hermitage, Madonna and Child ; Christ and his Disciples. Tu- rin, Boyal Palace, the Prodigal Son, and other works: among the best of his later pictures is the Dismissal of Hagar, in the Brera, at Milan. Guer- cino's brother, Paolo Antonio Basbie- m, also a painter of Cento, died some years before him, in 1649. He excelled in animals, flowers, fruit, &o, {Ccdvi.) BARBIE RI, PiEE Antonio, bom at Pavia, 1663; painted in 1704. Pupil of Bastiano Ricci, and studied in Rome: many works at Pavia. Lom- bard or Milanese School. BAROCCI, Federigo, 6. at Urbino in 1628, where he died, Sept. 30, 1612. Roman School. He was the scholar of Battista Franco, but became eventually a decided imitator of Correggio, and y^e caused a certain reaction in the decline of art of that period: he attempted to combine the qualities of Raphael and Correggio, but though he drew well, and was distinguished for a great delicacy of light and shade, he wanted the higher aesthetic and dra- matic qualities of art, and was alto- gether deficient in force; his colouring also is offensively purple or pink, as Mengs has observed, it wants the yellow tints. Works. Perugia, cathedral. Descent from the Cross. Urbino, Last Supper. Rome, Cbiesanuova, the Visitation, and the Presentation in the Temple ; the Minerva, the Eucharist; Vatican, Santa Michelina; Borghese Palace, St. Jerome. Naples, Holy Family.