Note the concentric circles of the blessed, arranged in rings of clouds, who
witness and accompany the Virgin in her Assumption. The most important
source for this work was Mantegna’s ceiling at Mantua, the oculus in the
Camera degli Sposi. This Assumption is the principal model for all the
illusionistic dome paintings of the Baroque and subsequent eras.
Correggio developed a gentleness and poetic realism, as seen in the Mystical
Marriage of St. Catherine (c. 1523–1525), which contrasts with the nervy
line and neurotic temperament common among Mannerist painters. This
painting joined Leonardo’s smoky modeling with Raphael’s intimacy. Note
the circularity of the composition—the Madonna’s body, St. Catherine’s
arm, and the Christ Child. The subject is a mystical experience, in which
the Christ Child places a ring on St. Catherine’s ¿ nger. This metaphor of
spiritual betrothal to God was popular, and among female saints, only St.
Mary Magdalene surpassed St. Catherine in popularity.
Another precursor to Annibale Carracci was Federico Barocci (1535–1612).
He was a generation older than Annibale and was born about the time that
Correggio died. Our example is Barocci’s Rest on the Flight into Egypt
(c. 1573). This simple composition is designed in an X shape, with clear
gestures and contrasts of motion. Barocci learned color from the work of
Titian and other masterpieces in the ducal collection at Urbino. Barocci’s
simplicity was an important alternative to Mannerist complexity. He worked
almost his entire life in his native Urbino, but he was famous enough to
export paintings throughout Italy.
Annibale Carracci (1560–1609) was from Bologna. He was a pupil of his
older cousin Ludovico (1555–1619) and, together with Ludovico and
Annibale’s older brother, Agostino (1557–1602), founded a teaching
academy that became celebrated even outside Italy. Most of the important
Bolognese painters of the next generation came from this academy. The
academy’s central principle was the importance of Naturalism, a reaction
against the arti¿ ciality of Mannerism. Life drawing was emphasized,
and virtually all the painters from Bologna at this time were marvelous
draftsmen. The Carracci reacted against such Mannerist stylistic principles as
arti¿ ce, tension of poses, conÀ icted compositions, emotional exaggeration,
suppression or contradiction of Renaissance spatial coherence, and