The Crocker Art Gallery holds Guido Cagnaccis Allegory of Life.

This evocative painting was painted before 1660, a few years before the artist died. Guido Cagnacci was born January 19, 1601 in a Santarcangelo de Romagna. Not much is known of Guido, except for the highlights of his artistic life. It is known that he apprenticed from 17 years of age to age 20. Its believed that his apprenticeship from 1618-1621 was done with Ludovico or Guido Remi, but neither has been affirmed. Both are likely possibilities, since Guidos style of work is Baroque like theirs and they lived in the same time and place. Guido later went to Rome and finished his apprenticeship in 1622 with Giovanni Francesco Barbieri a.k.a. Guercino(the Squinter). Neighboring, Santarcangelo de Romagna was Rimini where Guido worked through his late twenties to early forties. During the period of time Guido worked in Rimini, when he was 27, he tried to elope with widow, Countess Teodora Stivivi. Its not certain if this match between Stivivi and Cagnacci was a love-match or if it was mercenary. She was after all a noblewoman of some possible wealth. Some accounts say he tried to kidnap her, others he tried to elope with her; suffice to say, the attempt didnt work. Stivivs family didnt approve of the match and she was sent to a convent. This was unfortunate for Cagnacci, especially since after Stivivi left the convent, she remarried with someone else. While Stivivi was away at a convent, her family convinced Cagnacci to leave Rimini. Guido left Rimini and lost the woman it seems he cared about and its said this event affected his work. Its hard to say how this was accomplished, since a couple years later he was taking in commissions and working well. The one possible downside was he had to leave Rimini, his homeland, but even that was short-lived. He returned to Rimini in 1631 and started painting again. His work during his 30s-40s is said to be some of his greatest work. This may be, because he was exploring, in more depth, chiaroscuro and eventually

progressing into tenebrism. Chiaroscuro and tenebrism are the hallmarks of the Baroque period of artwork. Chiaroscuro is defined as contrasting from light to dark. Tenebrism is a step farther from chiaroscuro. Chiaroscuro does contrast light and dark, but its more of a process, not always having to go sharply from light to dark or black and white. There is an in between gradation in the process. Tenebrism is similar in its contrasts from light to dark, but theres not much middle ground. The contrasts are sharp and vivid, leaving no question as to what is dark and what is light. More often, a piece of art done in this fashion has a figure or subject in light and the background is black. This art form is Baroque. The Baroque movement started in Italy, in the mid-late 1500s. It gradually found its way to the neighboring countries, of Spain, France, Germany, England, and numerous others. Its no wonder Guido Cagnacci was heavily influenced by the Baroque movement, since it originated in Italy, his homeland. Many of Cagnaccis influences were baroque artists, like Caravaggio, Ludovico Carracci, Simon Vouet and a few others. The artists he apprenticed from, Guercino and possibly Ludovico, were both great Baroque painters. He learned from them, and was alive in a time where much of the artwork was still prevalent. Cagnacci kept many his methods and ideas of painting, when he left Rimini for Forli, in 1642. He continued creating baroque-style paintings, but his greatest inspiration in Forli was Melozzo da Forli. Melozzo was a great Renaissance painter from the 14th Century and as his last name implies, he was a descendent of the Forlis. His artwork inspired many artists who came to Forli, because he was one of the first to experiment with foreshortening. Guido spent a decade of so in Forli, but moved again in 1650, this time to Venice. Not much more is known of his personal life. Cagnacci later moved to Vienna and was under the

patronage of Emperor Leopold I. He died in Vienna, the year 1663. Its not known the day he died or the month. His life was obscure and seemingly mediocre. He made some amazing pieces, but he wasnt famous like Caravaggio. The piece of art that led me to Cagnacci was his Allegory of Life. This oil painting was made before 1660, near the end of Guidos lifespan. The artwork is one of his greater works, but also obscure, in that no one knows the year he made it. A woman is in the foreground and the focal point of the painting. There are added items, which symbolize the brevity of life. Within her left hand, she holds an hourglass, in her right a flower and a dandelion. These two items demonstrate how this womans life and beauty will eventually fade. Those flowers will wilt and the sand within the hourglass will find its way to the bottom. This woman will die, but there is hope. Above her head is a snake coiled in an elliptical circle. It bites its own tail and is in a burnished gold. This serpent is supposed to signify eternity, because its in a circle. This tells those who see this painting, that while this woman fades, she is eternal. Shes the circle of life, Mother Nature, the giver of life. From her will come many more and so on and the chain of life wont be broken. New life comes from those who will eventually die and it goes on successively. Beside her on a stand or block is a skull and lit candles. They mark the passage of time and the eventual passing of this youthful woman. The skull seems to say that death is inevitable and despite this womans beauty, she too will succumb to it. The candles are easily snuffed and they too signify a quick passing. However, before this happens, one sees a young woman, glowing with life. Her body is young and rounded with health. Her belly and thighs are the fullest parts of the painting. Shes painted a luminescent ivory. Her hair is a burnished brown with hints of gold and bronze. Her lips and cheeks are rosy and full with life. The wrapping around her lower half is a golden tan,

with hints of yellow. There are tints of rose in the vital parts of her body, her inner thigh, where a major artery is, her face, her breastbone, her hands, and her abdomen. The greatest flush or rose is in her right hand. The hand is colored like a human being of flesh and bone, while the rest of her coloring is and idealized perfection of ivory, with an ethereal outline. The coloring of her body can be related to the balance between life and death. The overall shade of her in unhealthy and artificial, while those highlights bring humanity and fragility to her. I was impacted by the overall painting, but what really spoke to me was the look on her face. Its a look of hope and wonder, as if she too knows the potential and fragile nature of her being. She looks up at this circular snake above her head, but she isnt frightened to see it there. Her expression also reminds me of all of the paintings of the Madonna, the way her arms splay is also reminiscent of the triangular effect of those paintings. Shes eternal like the Madonna, but like her, her earthbound form must eventually die. The way this piece was painted, denotes an effort to be careful. The paint isnt very heavy. The brushstrokes are not very thick. I think the artist was showing this care, because this piece meant something to him. He might have also been doing this because he didnt want to muddy the overall effect. Harsh brush strokes would have made this figure coarse. His medium is oil painting and it gives this painting a polished effect. This is noted in the way she touches the light in the painting. I also noticed that the painting is very baroque, in that her background is in heavy shadows. The type of painting is an example of tenebrism. This is apparent because of the way she is the main focal point and her background is in near pitch black. The flowers, skull, candles, hourglass, and snake, are also highlighted as she is, but not with as much importance. Its obvious Cagnacci did this on purpose, because he wanted her to be the point of interest. He added these individual items so that his painting would speak and tell its story. Considering how

obscure this man was, its probably a good thing he added these items. His message is clear. Life is ephemeral, but forever eternal. This is a great message for us all to hold. We can know that while our lives are short, we can leave something good behind. It can be how we influence those around us or we can leave something tangible behind.