Monday, October 30, 2006
Giovanni Francesco
Barbieri, "il Guercino" (the Squinter): A Stunning Artistic Vision
The
ANNOTICO Report
Barbieri, was a cross-eyed painter
with no time for self-pity. and thought of his
condition as a minor inconvenience. Actually it may have aided his
concentration when drawing from life and translating his pen-and-ink studies
into dramatic paintings and action-packed, ceiling-spanning frescoes.
It some cases it appears as if he had trained himself to look in two
directions simultaneously, cultivating a skill that allowed him to see his
surroundings clearly and sensibly and more fully than usual.
He has
the capacity to make you feel as if you are a witness to an
event taking place right before your eyes.His
artistic vision, and capacity to deliver it, are nothing less than stunning.
The
By
David Pagel
Special to The Times
October 30, 2006
At a time when nicknames have all but disappeared as the pseudonyms of
respectable professionals, it's refreshing to come across an artist known as
the Squinter. A consummate professional whose diligence was matched by his
talents as a draftsman and skills as a businessman, Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, "il Guercino" (the Squinter), was a cross-eyed painter
with no time for self-pity.
On bad days, he thought of his condition as a minor inconvenience. On good
ones, it distinguished him from the competition and became a trademark that,
rumor had it, aided his concentration when drawing from life and translating
his pen-and-ink studies into dramatic paintings and action-packed, ceiling-spanning
frescoes.
At the J. Paul Getty Museum, an enchanting exhibition of 34 wonderfully
intimate drawings by Guercino (1591-1666) opens with
a 1623 engraving by Ottavio Leoni (1578-1630). The notecard-size portr! ait does not try to hide, disguise
or downplay Guercino's malady. Instead, his physical
handicap is the most prominent feature of the sensitively rendered image, a
three-quarter profile that shows one eye staring straight at viewers and the
other looking far off to the sitter's left straight down the wall on which the
picture hangs.
The portrait is disorienting. At first, Guercino
appears a bit crazed. But the intensity of his multidirectional gaze, coupled
with the relaxed alertness of his expression and the casual confidence of his
posture, makes him look perfectly natural. It seems as if he had trained
himself to look in two directions simultaneously, cultivating a skill that
allowed him to see his surroundings clearly and sensibly and more fully than
usual.
His drawings cover a wide range of subjects and employ a commanding variety of
media. Religious and mythological scenes predominate, with genre themes,
historical portraits, nudes, imaginary landscapes a! nd fanciful caricatures demonstrating the breadth of Guercino's talents and the depth of his interest in
everything around him. "Guercino: Mind to
Paper" was organized by Julian Brooks, the Getty's assistant curator of
drawings, and is accompanied by a concise, useful catalog.
The religious scenes, such as "The Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew"
and "The Martyrdom of Saints John and Paul," show Guercino
at his most contemplative. With great facility, they capture the transcendent tranquillity of men facing the end of their earthly
existence.
In contrast, "Jupiter Throwing a Thunderbolt" is almost comical in
its whiplash rendering of the Roman god twisting his muscular torso to hurl a
spindly thunderbolt, which has all the heft of a swizzle stick. "Cupid
Restraining Mars" verges on slapstick. Its cartoon putto
is no match for the armor-clad god of war, whose sword sweeps through space so
swiftly that it forms the radial lines of a wheel's spokes or windmill's blades.!
Guercino's drawings of ordinary moments in the daily
lives of anonymous folks are his most intimate and original pictures. "Two Seated Women Drying Their Hair in Front of a Fire"
is an oddly composed yet lovely study of in-between moments. It anticipates
Edgar Degas and still seems contemporary. "A Nude Woman, Seated, Embracing
a Child" and "A Child Seen From Behind, Standing Between His Mother's
Knees" give enduring form to the seemingly incidental gestures that form
the bedrock of human relationships.
Even more impressive than the range of Guercino's
subjects is the range of materials and techniques he used to depict them. A
simple quill pen dipped in brown ink was all he needed to capture the texture
of the visible and invisible worlds, giving palpable form to wet hair,
razor stubble, tangled garments, pudgy thighs, blinding sunlight and angel
wings.
Dark washes, applied with a paintbrush, often add dramatic shadows and the
weight and sag of living! flesh. Red and black chalk,
sometimes smudged with his fingertips, create atmospheric sensuality, giving
some pictures dreamy ethereality. Other images are as stark as etchings, with
fine, decisive lines seemingly carved into the paper.
Guercino masterfully combined these techniques to
create works filled with furious activity and quotidian intimacy. He is best
known for focusing on pairs of figures, and for conveying the psychological
complexity of their interactions. He is also known for his virtuoso depictions
of swift, violent movements. Like a stop-action photograph, his "Saint
Sebastian" depicts an arrow suspended in midair flying toward the martyr.
To look at the 1642 drawing is to feel as if you are a witness to an event
taking place right before your eyes. Guercino's
eyesight may not have been 20 / 20, but his artistic vision,
and capacity to deliver it, are nothing less than stunning.
*
'Guercino: Mind to Paper'
Where: J.
When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tuesdays through Thursdays and Sundays; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and
Saturdays; closed Mondays.
Ends: Jan. 21
Price: Free Contact: (310) 440-7300;
www.getty.edu<252>
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