Brief Biography-Guercino was born in Cento near Bologna in 1509. He was mainly self-taught and learned from Carracci, but he did not assume his style. Instead, Caravaggio influenced his work, and he strongly emphasised shadow. However, in his later years, he adopted the more neutral tone of Guido Reni, who had moved away from dark contrast. Pope Gregory XV commissioned him to paint the ceiling fresco of Aurora in the Villa Ludovisi in 1621. He returned to Cento in 1623, where Velazquez visited him in 1629, and in 1642 he moved to Bologna. Guercino’s output was prolific; he painted 106 altarpieces, 144 large historical paintings, many frescoes and countless Madonnas, portraits, and landscapes. However, his most outstanding work is the History of Saint Petronilla for Saint Peters in Rome. He died in Bologna in 1666.