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Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, called Guercino, Study for a
Hercules in three-quarter-length, beginning of the 1640s. Photo:
CeciliaHeisser/Nationalmuseum.
Apr 14, 2016 07:00 UTC
New Acquisition: A Study for Hercules byGuercino
The Nationalmuseum has acquired a red-chalk figure study for a
Hercules, inthree-quarter-length from the 1640s by the Italian
Baroque artist Guercino.The drawing that in the 18th century
belonged to the Swedish diplomat andart collector Count Carl Gustaf
Tessin has thus been reunited with the mainpart of his drawings
collection in the museum’s holdings.
Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, called Guercino, was born in Cento
in theprovince of Ferrara in 1591 and died at Bologna in 1666. A
leading figure inthe second generation of artists active in Emilia,
he was inspired by the
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reform of painting carried out by the Carracci around 1600. He
was alsodeeply influenced by the High Renaissance artist Correggio,
admiring hissubtle treatment of light and fluidity of touch. His
indebtedness to Correggiois nowhere more apparent than in his
red-chalk drawings. Impressed by theeffects of softness, luminosity
and grace achieved by Correggio in thismedium, Guercino exploited
its painterly softness to convey a lifelike qualitywith a mastery
achieved by few other artists.
Studied from a model who posed in the studio, Guercino's
Hercules portraysthe semi-god of classical mythology, the
personification of courage andphysical strength, as a muscular
bearded man, swinging his club above hishead as he strides forward,
his naked body partially enveloped by swirlingfolds of diaphanous
drapery. Born from the union of Jupiter and Alcmene,Hercules
married Megara, the daughter of King Creon of Thebes, by whom hehad
three children. These he killed in a fit of madness and, to atone
for histerrible deed, he was given the famous twelve labours to
accomplish. Hisusual attributes are the lion skin, a trophy from
his first labour, and the club,obtained by uprooting an olive tree
with his bare hands. The beauty ofGuercino’s drawing arises from
his rapidity of touch and his ability to capturethe most delicate
gradations of light over flesh, exploiting the warmth of
hueinherent in red chalk.
Guercino’s drawings were generally made to clarify his ideas in
relation to agiven composition before working with the brush on
canvas. From documentswe know that during the 1640s he made several
paintings of ‘Hercules’ inhalf-figure. Two paintings preserved in
private collections share certainfeatures with the Stockholm study
as well as with a later black-chalk study inthe Ashmolean Museum,
Oxford. The present study shows the model turnedto the left and lit
from the top so that his raised right arm casts a shadowacross his
face with its wrathful expression. It differs from the paintings
inthat the figure is caught in mid-action, preparing to strike his
enemy with asweeping downward movement of his club. The Oxford
drawing shows themodel resting the club on his right shoulder in a
pose closer to the paintings.
In addition to an unidentified collector’s mark, the sheet bears
the mark ofCount Nils Barck (1820-1896), a Swede resident in Paris
from 1840, whomanaged to acquire a group of important drawings
offered as a Christmas giftin 1748 to Queen Lovisa Ulrika of Sweden
by the Swedish diplomat and artcollector Count Carl Gustaf Tessin
(1695-1770). Although not included amongthose drawings, the present
study had at one time belonged to Tessin, wholisted it among the
artworks sent home from Paris during his years as
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Swedish ambassador 1739-1742.
Nationalmuseum’s purchase of this work has been made possible by
agenerous bequest from the Wiros Fund. Nationalmuseum has no budget
of itsown for new acquisitions, but relies on gifting and financial
support fromprivate funds and foundations to enhance its
collections of fine art and craft.
Press contactCarina Fryklund, Senior Curator, Collections and
Research,[email protected], +46 8 5195 4475Hanna
Tottmar, Press officer, [email protected], +46 76723
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CaptionGiovanni Francesco Barbieri, called Guercino, A Study for
Hercules, in three-quarter-length, 1640s. Photo: Cecilia
Heisser/Nationalmuseum.
Nationalmuseum is Sweden’s premier museum of art and design.
Thecollections comprise older paintings, sculpture, drawings and
graphic art, andapplied art and design up to the present day. The
museum building iscurrently under renovation and scheduled to open
again in 2018. In themeantime, the museum will continue its
activities through collaborationsboth in Sweden and abroad as well
as temporary exhibitions at the RoyalSwedish Academy of Fine Arts,
Fredsgatan 12 and Nationalmuseum Design atKulturhuset
Stadsteatern in Stockholm. Nationalmuseum has
partnershipswith Svenska Dagbladet and the Grand Hôtel Stockholm,
and acknowledgesthe support of FCB Fältman & Malmén.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.nationalmuseum.se/
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Contacts
Head of PressPress ContactHanna
[email protected]+46 (0)8 5195 4400
mailto:[email protected]:+46 (0)8 5195 4400