Reni, Guido

(1575-1642)

   One of the members of the Bolognese School, Guido Reni began his training as painter in the studio of the Flemish master Denys Calvaert in Bologna. After a fallout with Calvaert, Reni moved onto the Carracci School to complete his training. In 1601, he went to Rome to work as one of Annibale Carracci's assistants on the Farnese ceiling commission (c. 1597-1600; Palazzo Farnese). When he arrived, he was greatly influenced by the art of Caravaggio and began experimenting with the Caravaggesque style. His David with the Head of Goliath (1605-1606; Louvre, Paris) and Massacre of the Innocents (1611; Bologna, Pinacoteca Nazionale) belong to this phase in his career. After this last work, Reni moved toward greater classicism, as is exemplified by his Aurora (1613) in the Casino Rospigliosi, Rome. His colors in this work are more akin to those used by Michelangelo, Raphael, and Annibale, and the grace of the figures is also Raphaelesque. Having completed this work, Reni moved back to his native Bologna where he became the city's leading master, a position he held until his death in 1642.

   In the 1620s, Reni adopted a silvery palette and began using silk instead of canvas. The reason for the change in material is that he witnessed the exhumation of a corpse in which only a piece of silk cloth emerged intact. After this, he became obsessed with using materials that would last beyond his lifespan. His portraits Cardinal Roberto Ubaldini (1625; Los Angeles, County Museum) and Atalanta and Hippomenes (1622-1625; Madrid, Prado) belong to Reni's silver phase. In his late career, Reni created works in the unfinished style, for instance, his Flagellation (1641; Bologna, Pinacoteca Nazionale) and Holy Family with Sts. Elizabeth and John the Baptist (1641; private collection). It has been suggested that his paintings look unfinished because he was a heavy gambler and at this point in his life he was plagued with debt and painted as fast as he could to generate a higher income. Recently discovered documents show, however, that the paintings were still in his studio when he died, which would prove such suggestion wrong. Though the reasons for his change in style have been the cause of much debate, what is certain is that Reni was an exceptional artist who had a great impact on the younger generation, including Simon Vouet, Eustache Le Seur, and Gian Lorenzo Bernini.