Guercino: Drawings from Windsor Castle

Marking the fourth centenary of the birth of Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, The Drawing Center presented Guercino: Drawings from Windsor Castle. This selection of sixty works from the British Royal Collection showcased the expressive range and virtuosity of one of Italy's most original Baroque draftsmen. The selected drawings represented the best of the artist's oeuvre—reflecting a wide variety of media and styles and depicting a number of subjects both sacred and secular.

Born in Cento, a small town near Ferrara in Emilia, Guercino began his career as a provincial painter and draftsman. At the request of Pope Gregory XV, Guercino traveled to Rome in 1621 to complete several significant commissions, but returned to Cento two years later, where he continued to gain increasing acclaim. While his major commissions were historical and religious subjects, Guercino was one of the first Italian artists to depict scenes from nature and daily life, often in exuberant, expressive drawings. Although Guercino declined Charles I's invitation to come to England in 1625, many of his works subsequently made their way to Britain, particularly in the eighteenth century. The drawings ranged from highly finished pieces to lively sketches, such as three studies of Atlas, examples of Guercino's animated drawing and redrawing of the same figure. A number of the works are preparatory sketches for paintings and remain fascinating records of the artist's process.