European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 12, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Frankfurt exhibit features Little known italian artist this painting of the Madonna preparing a meal for the Christ child was done around 1615.by de Reavis staff writer the opening of ii Guercin 1591-1666 earlier this month launched the third in a series of exhibits on the Art and cultural history of Italy being presented by the Schirn Art museum in Frankfurt Germany. The series began with the exhibition Guido Reni and Europe in 1988 and continued with the Savoleo exhibit in 1990. More exhibits Are planned for the upcoming years. Guercin is an artist dragged from obscurity by British Art historian and collector sir Denis Mahon who attended the opening in Frankfurt. Artists like Guercin Reni and Giovanni Gerolamo Savoleo and the entire period of baroque Art had fallen into Disfavour with 19th Century critics and Art historians according to Sybille Ebert Schifferer the exhibit custodian. Quot Only the Renaissance was of any interest until a few scholars such As sir Denis went out and rediscovered them a she said. Quot for years it was thought that Guercin s output was rather meager. It was immense. Thanks to Mahon who tracked them Down and also collected them we can now not Only enjoy them but also appraise a Guercin is often falsely compared to italian Painter Michelangelo a Caravaggio. Mahon however proved Guercin had never seen a Caravaggio. Ii Guercin which is italian for Quot Cross eyed a was born Jiovan Francesco Barbieri in the Small Backwater town of Cento near Bologna. He developed his own style with the help of nameless teachers. His models were the paintings he could see and learn from. He became quite famous in his Day and was even invited to Rome by Pope Gregory Xiv. There he decorated Villas and painted altars. Guercin was considered Quot the master of the italian style Quot during his lifetime. His business Ledger which has survived shows he charged by the number of persons in the painting and by their station and whether he had to paint an entire figure or just the top half. Upon the death of Gregory Guercin returned Home but did travel to Parma and other places not too far from his native Cento. Historians claim Guercin was a Quot Homeboy in the sense that he hated being away from his Home environment. He refused invitations by Charles i the King of England and to the court of France. He Only moved to nearby Bologna to escape the raging War in Cento. In 1655, Queen Christine of Sweden travelled to Bologna to see the master and the famous Art historians of the time came to see him at work. Over the years his work evolved from his More earthy settings to the More classical. He enjoyed setting classical themes in the peasant environment of his Home Village. Ltd in his earlier works Guercin improvised on biblical themes. Later he More or less Quot stuck to the Book Quot and did traditional paintings. Since Many of his paintings were designed to be Hung on Church or Palace Walls much of his work is grand in size. Guercin died on dec.22, 1666. He is buried in the Church of san Salvatore in Bologna. The Schirn s exhibit has 82 paintings from All Over the world and 85 drawings. The drawings include Mahon s entire collection All of the drawings from the ashmolean museum of Oxford England and a selection of drawings from the Koenig Wachsenfeld collection of the state gallery in Stuttgart Germany. The exhibit is a cooperative Effort of the Pina Woteca Nazionale i Bologna and the National gallery of Art in Washington where the exhibit is scheduled to open in March 1992. The Frankfurt exhibit will run until feb. 9, 1992. The Schirn Kun Shalle is in the Omerberg Section just off the Rome Platz and is open 10 . To 9 . Tuesdays through fridays and 10 . To 7 . Saturdays sundays and holidays. Admission is 9 Marks about $5.75 weekdays and saturdays 6 Marks on sundays. A Catalon in German Only is available for 49 Marks. Fife Hersia separates Romulus and Statius painted in 1645, was Lent by the louvre in Paris. December 12, 1991 stripes Magaz be 11
