About the Artist

Born into a family of artists. At first he worked together with his brother in the workshop of their cousin Ludovico Carracci, who was probably also his teacher. Around 1585 he helped found the Accademia dei Desiderosi in Bologna and later, the Accademia degli Incammanati in Rome, where he settled in 1594. During trips to Parma and Venice he was inspired by the works of Correggio, Titian, Raphael and Michelangelo. He combined these new ideas with an intense study of nature, and developed a harmonious and direct style that idealizes beauty. A rival of Caravaggio, Carracci was the leading painter in Rome. His paintings reflects the impact of the art of antiquity and the High Renaissance, and thus manages to free itself from the influence of Mannerism. Important works by the artist include. Venus and Adonis 1590, The Lamentation of Christ 1606, The Assumption of the Virgin 1600