Annibale Carracci

Annibale Carracci – Most significant member of the Carracci artistic triumvirate

Annibale Carracci was born in Bologna on 3 November 1560. The brother of the Italian painter and copper engraver Agostino Carrracci, his father wished for him to train as a tailor, but he instead joined his cousin, the painter Lodovico Carracci, on a study trip to Parma. After spending three years in Parma learning the foundations of painting, copying numerous frescoes by Correggio to this end, he travelled across Toscana and Venice studying the art of Tintoretto, Titian and in particular, Pablo Veronese. Carracci is thought to have lived for a time with Jacopo Bassano and adapted much of his painting methods. However, the most important influence on his life’s work is considered to be Rphael, an artist he only discovered later. Carracci, his brother and cousin attracted considerable fame in Europe in the 1580s, and with a painting style which broke barriers, the Carracci triumvirate was considered groundbreaking and radical, although Annibale surpassed his brother and cousin in importance.

Palazzo Farnese as key work; quarrel with contractor

In 1595, Annibale Carracci followed the call to Rome from Cardinal Odoardo Farnese - acting on the explicit recommendation of his brother Ranuccio, the Duke of Parma - to take over the painting decoration of the interior of the Piano nobile in the Palazzo Farnese. The artist, in turn, fulfilled the honourable commission with aplomb and created some of his best works with the magnificent mythological frescoes. From 1602, Carracci’s pupils Francesco Albani, Guido Reni and Domenichino assisted their master with the execution of the demanding and time-consuming work. However, the gratitude and above all the remuneration of his employer were far from commensurate with the great commitment Annibale Carracci showed, so that he separated from the Farnese family in 1605 in discord. The incensed artist did not rest in the aftermath but created some of his most impressive religious works – including the Flight into Egypt and the Entombment of Christ. 

A diverse artist with a tendency to melancholy

Annibale Carracci did not simply paint from nature, but rather developed his own unique style of capturing movement and the incidence of light, and representing them through painterly means. Like his brother and cousin, he understood himself as part of a great arc that the history of Italian art spanned across the centuries and as one of the supporting pillars of its hall of fame. While he could hardly deny his classicist roots and inclination towards the heroic ideal, he also demonstrated an astonishing versatility: as well as his large mythological frescoes and religious altar pictures, Annibale Carracci created landscapes and genre paintings, produced small hand drawings, and even attempted caricatures. Despite all his success and creative fulfillment, Annibale Carracci is said to have tended towards melancholy which increased in the years before his death.

Annibale Carracci died in Rome on 15 July 1609.