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Annibale Carracci (1560–1609) – a straightforward recluse in the world of Roman splendor

Annibale Carracci (1560–1609) – a straightforward recluse in the world of Roman splendor

Annibale Carracci, The Beaneater, fragment, Galleria Colonna

Annibale was a straightforward man of simple manners, staying away from company and courtly ceremonies. He never married and did not have children. He was also not interested in fame or prestige. He never forgot that he was the son of a tailor and he often reminded his brother Agostino, who displayed rather different inclinations and ambitions. The Bolognese biographer of Annibale, Ceasre Malvasia describes Carracci as an unkempt man, uncaring about his clothes, with a melancholic nature:”….he was always absent always alone (…). That is why he did not always enjoy the respect that he deserved.”

Annibale Carracci, Juno and Jupiter, Galleria Borghese

Annibale Carracci, fresco The Triumph of Bacchus and Ariadne, Palazzo Farnese, vault, central scene, pic. Wikipedia

Annibale Carracci, Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo

Annibale Carracci, Portrait of a Young Man, Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica, Palazzo Barberini

Annibale Carracci, Assumption of the Virgin Mary, fragment, Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo

Annibale Carracci and workshop, altar for private adoration, Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica, Palazzo Barberini

Annibale was a straightforward man of simple manners, staying away from company and courtly ceremonies. He never married and did not have children. He was also not interested in fame or prestige. He never forgot that he was the son of a tailor and he often reminded his brother Agostino, who displayed rather different inclinations and ambitions. The Bolognese biographer of Annibale, Ceasre Malvasia describes Carracci as an unkempt man, uncaring about his clothes, with a melancholic nature:”….he was always absent always alone (…). That is why he did not always enjoy the respect that he deserved.”

In 1585 Annibale along with other members of the Carracci family, his brother Agostino and cousin Lodovico, established a family school of art in Bologna. And it was thanks to this facility that their above-average talents were noticed. It also brought them renown outside the borders of the city. They were able to prove their talent and skill when Annibale and Agostino both came to Rome in 1594 in order to decorate with paintings, one of the representative chambers of the palace of Cardinal Odoardo Farnese (Palazzo Farnese). The task was difficult, time-consuming, but exceptionally prestigious. The cardinal’s palace, constructed by Michelangelo (Michelangelo Buonarroti), was the pride and joy of the Farnese family. Annibale, who was made responsible for the painting concept, until now the creator of idealized, classical, although not bereft of expression paintings, in Rome got to know the works of Michelangelo and Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio), which to a great extent influenced his Roman works. In the palace he completed a decoration which was monumental, stunning with splendor and virtuosity, better than anything that has been created up to this point, with the exception of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Its main theme is the love stories of Olympian gods, which were grandiloquently called The Loves of the Gods.

Carracci was an exceptional craftsman, an expert completely concentrated on his work. Besides paintings for cardinal Farnese, during his time in the Eternal City he also created altar paintings for Roman churches as well as canvas of secular and religious theme for private clients. Carracci can also be called a pioneer of landscape paiting in its idealized form, using little, inconspicuous scenes from the Old Testament, as a staffage for complex landscapes. It would be those very paintings which would creatively fertilize his students, among whom there were Domenichino and Nicolas Poussin, to experiment further in the matter.

At the start of 1605 Annibale went through a psychological breakdown. He moved out of the Farnese palace and began living in a humble workshop in the city center. As chroniclers recounted, he was engulfed in great melancholy, after cardinal Farnese paid him 500 scudos for the whole painting decoration, meaning eight years of work (generally one painting of medium size was worth between 100 to 150 scudos). It was a slap in the face, not so much in the financial aspect but a blow to the prestige and pride of the artist. Frescos, which were generally admired, considered similar in rank to those of Michelangelo, could not have been evaluated as the work of a daily laborer, who would eat in the cardinal’s kitchen. As a consequence no further collaboration between the artist and cardinal Farnese took place, although the latter planned decorating more chambers of his palace. Annibale departed for Napoli, where he was hostilely received by local artists. Severely ill he returned to Rome, where at the age of 49, he died. Fully appreciated after his death, he was buried next to Raphael in the Roman Pantheon.