BAROCCI, FEDERICO

(c. 1535-1612)

   Painter from Urbino, qualified as one of the art reformers of the Baroque era. Early in his career, Barocci served Guidobaldo II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino, in whose collection he studied the works of Titian and Raphael, both fundamental to the development of his career. Sometime in the mid-1550s, Barocci went to Rome, where he worked with the Zuccaro brothers whose Mannerist style he adopted.There he enjoyed the protection of Cardinal Giulio della Rovere, Guidobaldo's son. Barocci's paintings were not well received in Rome. After a serious illness in 1565, he decided to return to Urbino, where he finally developed his own personal style, attaining tremendous success. The Madonna delPopolo (1575-1579; Florence, Uffizi), painted for the Confraternity of the Misericordia in Arezzo, is an oval composition with central void and contorted figures that represents his Mannerist phase. It looks to Correggio for inspiration, especially in the softening of contours and overall hazy quality. His Visitation (1586) in the Chiesa Nuova, Rome, belongs to his mature period. The everyday types, the sense of tenderness they evoke, the realistic still-life details, the diagonals that direct the viewer's gaze toward the main event, and the use of pink to soften the scene are all elements that meet the demands of the Council of Trent regarding the proper depiction of religious subjects. Contemporary accounts relate how all of Rome lined up for three days to view the work once it arrived from Urbino. These accounts also speak of St. Philip Neri, the founder of the Oratorians to whom the Chiesa Nuova belonged, experiencing ecstatic raptures in front of the painting. Barocci's Stigmatization of St. Francis (c. 1595), painted for the Church of the Capuchins in Urbino, depicts the saint's mystical experience that resulted in his receiving the wounds of Christ, here shown as actual nails piercing his palms. The Counter-Reformation Church demanded historical accuracy and the nails are mentioned in the written account of the saint's life. Protestants had questioned the validity of sainthood and of mystical experiences. Therefore, Barocci, like many artists who served the Counter-Reformation Church, often depicted mystical events and visions.