Annibale Carracci

Annibale Carracci's life seemed destined. As the son of a tailor, he too was to learn this trade. His cousin changed this path and showed Annibale the world of painting. Following in the footsteps of Raphael and Tintoretto, the young men found access to art and culture. Together with Annibale's brother Agostino, three talented artists came together who changed the Italian art development fundamentally. Especially Annibale showed great artistic skills. Born in Bologna, Annibale had an education which he had deepened through study trips. In addition, there was a certain amount of light-heartedness, which took away his shyness about imitating the great masters. This is how Annibale achieved paintings that were highly respected and gave the artist a nationwide reputation.

One of the most popular paintings in Italian art history is the Bean Eater. With this work Annibale Carracci created the first genre painting in art. The depiction of an everyday scene without grotesque changes was not common practice up to that time. The depictions of the common people were not desired by the clients and did not represent any value for the viewer. The young Annibale showed an unconventional will to innovate and showed a refreshing disrespect for the status quo. With the introduction of genre paintings, Carracci is regarded as a pioneer in Italian art history.

Annibale was not only a provocateur. Together with his brother and his cousin, the artists dedicated themselves to the representation of religious commissioned works. Similarly, Annibale devoted himself to painting landscapes. Noble compositions and an expressive colouring were characteristic for the works. On journeys Annibale had looked at the works of Michelangelo Buonarroti and Raphael and took these ceiling designs as a model. Especially the frescos of the Sistine Chapel formed the basis for Carracci's designs. In 1595 the artist was called to Rome and began decorating Cardinal Farnese's palace. The work lasted eight years. According to a legend, the artist fell into a great crisis after completion. Although the frescoes brought him the highest recognition, the reward was negligible. As little as the Annibale suffered from melancholy and never recovered.