Guercino

Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, called Guercino because of a squint, was a largely self-taught painter from Cento near Ferrara. His early work is dark and dramatic, with strong light, and in Rome he painted the ceiling fresco Aurora in the Casino Ludovisi for Pope Gregory XV. After Guido Reni’s death he took over as the leading painter in Bologna and his style grew lighter and more classical. He was also a prolific and much collected draughtsman, and the Royal Collection holds a large group of his drawings; the National Gallery in London holds several of his paintings.