Guercino

Giovanni Francesco Barbieri was a Baroque, Italian figure painter widely known in his time and after his death as Guercino, which translates “the squinter,” a nickname he accrued from being cross-eyed. Some artists and historians believe that Guercino’s constant squinting aided his ability to render figures with accuracy and naturalism despite being an autodidact; viewing figures through almost blurred vision might help an artist render their forms as objects rather than relying on a preconceived notion of what a body should look like. Although Guercino most likely never viewed a Carravagio work, the chiaroscuro master undoubtedly influenced the self-taught squinter through the style of other artists. Guercino mostly painted biblical narratives and eventually landed a job as a painter in the Vatican. He was a notably prolific artist and, before his death, became wealthy from commissioned work. His output was distributed to numerous family members and now reside in museums and private collections.