Carracci, Annibale

(1560 - 1609)

Annibale Carracci (November 3, 1560, in Bologna - July 15, 1609, in Rome) was an Italian painter, etcher and engraver.

In the Bologna of the early 1580s, together with his cousin Lodovico Carracci and brother Agostino, Annibale opened the Academy of Desiderosi (Desirous of fame and learning), later of the Incamminati(progressives); and finally the "School of the Eclectics" and the "School of the Carracci". The 17th century critic Giovanni Bellori, in his survey titled Idea, considered Carracci the epitome of Roman Baroque and the finest living artist. In their teaching, the Carraccis laid special emphasis on drawing from the life and clear draughtsmanship became a quality particularly associated with artists of the Bolognese School, notably Domenichino and Reni, two of the leading members of the following generation who trained with the Carracci. It is not easy to distinguish the individual contribution by each Carraci brother in many early works, including the cycle of frescos in the Palazzo Fava in Bologna (c.1583-84). They worked together until 1595, when Annibale, the best known, was called to Rome by Cardinal Odoardo Farnese to decorate the gallery in the Palazzo Farnese.