By Walter Ego
From his nickname no-one could imagine that he was such a skilful draughtsman… It is talking about Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, better known as Guercino – squinter – because of a childhood incident that left him cross-eyed. Guercino (1591-1666), born at Cento, a village between Bologna and Ferrara, gained his reputation in Rome working for the Pope Gregory XV. Despite numerous invitations to become a court artist in both London and Paris, he chose not to move from Italy, very likely to stay close to his family.
Through life drawing this Italian giant of the Baroque period recorded all the scenes, from every angle, that drew attention to his eyes, applying his technique to various media. His favourite medium was the goose feather pen dipped in ink that, thanks to his mastery, allowed him to freeze on paper the ideas as soon as they came up to his mind.
The exhibition at the Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery, in collaboration with the J. Paul Getty Museum of Los Angeles, gives art lovers, from 22nd February until 13th May 2007, a chance to admire and celebrate Guercino’s draughtsmanship through 26 drawings from the collection of Sir Robert Witt, bequeathed to the Courtaluld in 1952.
Our host at the Gallery has been Dr Julian Brooks from J. Paul Getty Museum, curator of the exhibition, who has explained to us why Guercino is one of the greatest Italian masters: everybody is invited to watch the video with the interview made to Dr Brooks, in which he introduces some of the most important pieces of this exhibition. In particular we would love to point out Two Women Drying Their Hair, in which Guercino’s technique possibly reaches its top: brown wash is applied for drawing wet tresses, whilst the drier ends of hair are made of strokes by using a drier brush. The more we observe this masterpiece, the more it seems that the hair of the two women is really being dried just in front of us…
Guercino’s art in the use of light and shade pervades all of his works, with a sage harmony of dark brown ink and wash passages used to highlight parts of the body or draw the eye of the beholder to intricate hairstyles.
A florilegium of speed and energy are the pentimenti – minor changes – especially the ones in Cupid Restraining Mars, with five exploratory ideas for Mars’s sword.
In spite of what Guercino means, our eyes were blessed with such a wonderful exhibition.
The videointerview with the curator and the photographs of the exhibition are available on our website www.giorgiostudio.co.uk.
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