A major exhibition on the life and work of Annibale Carracci opens in Rome today, following a hit run in Bologna.

The show at the Chiostro del Bramante spans the Baroque master's development from his youth in Bologna to his later years in Rome. Jointly sponsored by the Bologna and Rome city councils, it showcases 160 works by Carracci (1560-1609), including 70 of his best-known paintings.

 Although this is not the first show devoted to the most famous of the three Carracci artists it is one of the most comprehensive. It proved enormously popular in Bologna, where it was one of the highlights of the city's cultural 2006 calendar. The exhibit is divided into eight sections, and features self-portraits, altarpieces, mythological scenes and nearly figureless landscapes, a fairly new idea at the time.

Of the three Carracci artists, Annibale was considered the most innovative of his day. "He was more modern than Agostino and Ludovico, who remained closely bound up with the traditional forms of classicism," explained Bologna Culture Councillor Angelo Guglielmi. "He conceived of art as a mirror for reality, quite similar to the approach adopted by Caravaggio, who worked with him in Rome and admired his work".

This focus on truth and reality, highlighting physicality of everyday life, emerges strongly in Carracci. He was also fascinated by the basics of everyday activities like eating and drinking, as in 'Ragazzo che beve' (Boy Drinking) or 'Mangiafagioli', a remarkably modern-looking work showing a peasant digging into a plate of beans with gusto.

The exhibit wraps up with a specially produced documentary about Carracci's famous frescoes in Rome's Palazzo Farnese and Bologna's Fava, Magnani and Sampieri palazzos. The show runs until May 6.

ItalianAlmanac