The Return of the Prodigal Son by Guercino Giovanni Francesco Barbieri

Guercino Giovanni Francesco Barbieri

1591 - 1666

Cento, Italy

Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, known as Guercino, was a prominent Italian Baroque painter and draftsman born on February 8, 1591, in Cento, a town in the Emilia region. Born into a family of peasant farmers, Guercino's early life was marked by his cross-eyed condition, which earned him the nickname by which he is universally known. Mainly self-taught, Guercino's artistic talent was recognized at a young age, and he began his apprenticeship under Benedetto Gennari, a painter of the Bolognese School, at the age of 16.