The early 17th century in Bologna and in Emilia-Romagna
The rise of the Carraccis, who founded the Accademia dei Desiderosi (later known as the Accademia degli Incamminati) in 1582, marks an important turning point in Bolognese painting.
At the heart of their “reform” was an insistence on the study of nature.
They placed great importance on life drawing.
They also paid particular attention to aspects of the 16th century artistic tradition that had been neglected by late local mannerism.
Mainly, they explored the pre-Baroque style of Correggio, which featured pictorial illusionism and an appeal to the emotions of the spectator.
In addition, they drew upon the work of the Venetians, adopting their exuberant colors and compositional models.
From the early 1590s on, the increasingly unconditional success of the Carraccis was reflected by the number of commissions they received.
They became a point of reference for younger artists, including the pupils of painters who were still working within the Mannerist tradition.
The Carraccis left an indelible mark upon the entire generation of artists that succeeded them and on Bolognese art for years to come.
In fact, their art would remain the most authoritative model for Bolognese painters for almost two centuries and their influence also extended well beyond Bologna.
Annibale Carracci moved to Rome in 1595, where he was soon joined by his brother Agostino and then by their most promising pupils, including Reni, Albani, Domenichino, and Lanfranco.
During these years the art of the Carraccis, in the classicist style elaborated by Annibale while in Rome, contributed in a decisive way to the formation of the Baroque style of painting in Italy and in Europe.
In this room the altarpiece depicting Saint Catherine of Alexandria Visited in Prison by the Empress Faustina by Ludovico, the eldest of the three Carraccis, characterized by a neo-mannerist elegance and strong expressiveness, represents his more mature period.
The Male Figure attributed to Pietro Faccini, a particularly inventive pupil of the Carraccis, who would later abandon the Accademia degli Incamminati and establish his own rival school, shows a marked affinity with the early work of Annibale.
Annibale’s Roman period is represented by Saint Francis in Prayer, executed by one of his disciples but directly inspired by the classical landscapes of the master.
The uncommon panel depicting The Annunciation, God the Father in Glory and The Precious Blood of Christ is the most representative work in this room influenced by Ludovico’s style.
The artist Alessandro Tiarini, like many others who didn’t receive a direct training at the Accademia degli Incamminati, was nonetheless fascinated by the Carracci school.
Here, his work is represented by a delightful Annunciation.
After his definitive return to Bologna from Rome in 1614, Guido Reni soon became the most authoritative painter on the Bolognese artistic scene, which wholeheartedly embraced the artist’s extremely refined classicism.Reni’s influence is represented here by Apollo and Diana, both by his Flemish pupil Michele Desubleo and by three images of saints by some of his followers.
The splendid Cleopatra by Guido Cagnacci of Romagna also draws upon Reni’s style.However, the refined sensuality that characterizes this particular work is quite distant from Reni’s abstract idealism.
The influence of the other great 17th century Bolognese painter, Guercino, was not as strong as Reni’s.
His early works are characterized by a vigorous and dramatic style which was inspired by Ludovico Carracci’s more markedly pre-Baroque tendencies, but Guercino gradually adapted his work to fit the prevailing classical style.
To satisfy his numerous patrons, Guercino, like Reni, employed a large workshop of artists who worked on the less important commissions and on replicas of signed paintings.
Saint John the Baptist Visited in Prison by Salomé is an example of the work produced by Guercino’s workshop.
Both the German artist Matteo Loves, represented here by his Christ and the Samaritan Woman, and Benedetto Gennari the Younger, who was probably the author of the Portrait of a young Lady (a genre of painting that would later become his specialty), worked in this workshop at different times.
Also the Saint John the Evangelist has been recently attributed to Pietro Desani, a follower of Guercino’s early style.
In this room housing art from Emilia-Romagna the only outsider is the anonymous "Master of Candlelight".
This artist’s work is representative of late northern art as influenced by Caravaggio, a style that met with great success in Rome during the first decades of the 17th century.
As in the preceding rooms, the ceiling dates to the arrival of Napoleon’s troops in Bologna (1796).
The decoration has been attributed to the decorative painter Serafino Barozzi (1735-1810), who worked here with the ornamentalist Francesco Santini (1763-1840) The figures were probably executed by Filippo Pedrini (1763-1856).
