Changes

===Death of Pope Gregory XV: ''Esther before Ahasuerus (1639)''===

===Death of Pope Gregory XV: ''Esther before Ahasuerus (1639)''===

[[Image:Estherbeforea.jpg|thumb|right|225px|''Esther before Ahasuerus (1639)'']]

[[Image:Estherbeforea.jpg|thumb|right|225px|''Esther before Ahasuerus (1639)'']]

The Death of Pope Gregory XV in 1623 ended Guercino’s brief career in Rome, with the loss of his strong network of Vatican patronage. Guercino returned to Cento with new stylistic viewpoints, learned in part from the works of fellow Roman contemporaries who were seen less critically in the eyes of the court. A particular contemporary named Guido Reni “heralded a fundamental change in his (Guercino’s) work. Henceforth there was a lightening of his palette and a tendency to make the spatial setting of his figures more lucid” <ref>Turner</ref>. Like Guercino, Reni hailed from the northern Emilia region of Italy, studying and refining his art in Bologna. However, Reni’s sensuous compositions always remained extremely popular with the patrons of Rome as well as Bologna. Guercino’s style grew closer to the conventions used by Reni throughout this period, though Esther before Ahasuerus (1639) still betrays the roots of his Prima Maniera, despite moving closer to the stylistic choices seen in The Personification of Astrology (1655).  

The Death of Pope Gregory XV in 1623 ended Guercino’s brief career in Rome, with the loss of his strong network of Vatican patronage. Guercino returned to Cento with new stylistic viewpoints, learned in part from the works of fellow Roman contemporaries who were seen less critically in the eyes of the court. A particular contemporary named Guido Reni “heralded a fundamental change in his (Guercino’s) work. Henceforth there was a lightening of his palette and a tendency to make the spatial setting of his figures more lucid” <ref>Turner</ref>. Like Guercino, Reni hailed from the northern Emilia region of Italy, studying and refining his art in Bologna. However, Reni’s sensuous compositions always remained extremely popular with the patrons of Rome as well as Bologna. Guercino’s style grew closer to the conventions used by Reni throughout this period, though ''Esther before Ahasuerus (1639)'' still betrays the roots of his ''Prima Maniera'', despite moving closer to the stylistic choices seen in The Personification of Astrology (1655).  

The Esther story remains an emotionally charged narrative despite “represent[ing] a later phase of the painter’s career, when classical theories exerted a certain formal and emotional restraint in his work” (Plummer). Esther is seen swooning before the Persian King Ahasuerus, after defying death to plead with him to stop the massacre of her Jewish people. Esther’s self-sacrifice was later modified to reflect church teachings, and became a popular subject matter among religious depictions. The Catholic Church came to portray Esther as the Immaculate Virgin in her role of intercessor on the Day of Judgment in church iconography <ref>Hall 116</ref>. The King in his symbolic God role grants Esther’s request with the wave of his golden scepter, which causes her to faint into the arms of the surprised chambermaids. Through subtle symbolism, ''The Personification of Astrology (1655)'' also hints at the notion of the Immaculate Virgin. Biblical symbolism tells that The Virgin of the Immaculate Conception is crowned with a circle of stars <ref>Hall 289</ref>. The female astrologer figure also displays a row of stars across her hair cover. Going with the notion of the astrologer as the Immaculate Virgin finalizes Guercino’s ''Secondo Maniera'', as even the narrative takes an element of subtlety.  

The Esther story remains an emotionally charged narrative despite “represent[ing] a later phase of the painter’s career, when classical theories exerted a certain formal and emotional restraint in his work” <ref>Plummer</ref>. Esther is seen swooning before the Persian King Ahasuerus, after defying death to plead with him to stop the massacre of her Jewish people. Esther’s self-sacrifice was later modified to reflect church teachings, and became a popular subject matter among religious depictions. The Catholic Church came to portray Esther as the Immaculate Virgin in her role of intercessor on the Day of Judgment in church iconography <ref>Hall 116</ref>. The King in his symbolic God role grants Esther’s request with the wave of his golden scepter, which causes her to faint into the arms of the surprised chambermaids. Through subtle symbolism, ''The Personification of Astrology (1655)'' also hints at the notion of the Immaculate Virgin. Biblical symbolism tells that The Virgin of the Immaculate Conception is crowned with a circle of stars <ref>Hall 289</ref>. The female astrologer figure also displays a row of stars across her hair cover. Going with the notion of the astrologer as the Immaculate Virgin finalizes Guercino’s ''Secondo Maniera'', as even the narrative takes an element of subtlety.  

[[Image:Personification.jpg|thumb|left|225px|''The Personification of Astrology (1655)'']]

[[Image:Personification.jpg|thumb|left|225px|''The Personification of Astrology (1655)'']]

===Later Years in Bologna: ''The Personification of Astrology (1655)''===

===Later Years in Bologna: ''The Personification of Astrology (1655)''===

Art from his final period exhibits a refined subtlety in part due to the death of his chief competitor Guido Reni in 1640. One year before Reni’s death, ''Esther before Ahasuerus (1639)'' exhibits the final trademarks of his Prima Maniera mostly in the figure King Ahasuerus. Unlike the lucidly intertwined Esther, Ahasuerus is painted alone with aggressive coloring in his ornate jewelry, and at an emotional distance due to “Guercino’s Technique of filling in the eyes with dark blotches of ink keep[ing] us from reading clearly the emotional import of the figure’s (Ahasuerus) gaze” <ref>Plummer</ref>. Esther before Ahasuerus (1639) acts as a final link between the two distinct styles of Guercino with its mostly lucid compositions, despite the lone Ahasuerus figure painted in bold chiaroscuro. Two years later, Guercino moved his entire extended family from Cento to Bologna partly to escape the Wars of Castro, but probably also to work for the former patrons of the late Guido Reni. During his final Bologna period, Guercino painted few figures as bold and emotionally distant as King Ahasuerus. Reni’s former patrons were used to his refined classical style, which Guercino fully incorporated into his own work.   

Art from his final period exhibits a refined subtlety in part due to the death of his chief competitor Guido Reni in 1640. One year before Reni’s death, ''Esther before Ahasuerus (1639)'' exhibits the final trademarks of his Prima Maniera mostly in the figure King Ahasuerus. Unlike the lucidly intertwined Esther, Ahasuerus is painted alone with aggressive coloring in his ornate jewelry, and at an emotional distance due to “Guercino’s Technique of filling in the eyes with dark blotches of ink keep[ing] us from reading clearly the emotional import of the figure’s (Ahasuerus) gaze” <ref>Plummer</ref>. Esther before Ahasuerus (1639) acts as a final link between the two distinct styles of Guercino with its mostly lucid compositions, despite the lone Ahasuerus figure painted in bold chiaroscuro. Two years later, Guercino moved his entire extended family from Cento to Bologna partly to escape the Wars of Castro, but probably also to work for the former patrons of the late Guido Reni. During his final Bologna period, Guercino painted few figures as bold and emotionally distant as King Ahasuerus. Reni’s former patrons were used to his refined classical style, which Guercino fully incorporated into his own work.